A voice without a mouth no more: The neurobiology of language and consciousness

Skipper, Jeremy I.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104772

Cited by 8 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 436 publications

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“…Consistent with the various suggestions for anterior to posterior medial divisions, perhaps the more anterior medial regions are more associated with self-related emotional processing (97,119,(123)(124)(125)(126)(127)(128). In contrast, we suggest that these more posterior regions are more associated with language/semantic aspects of self-related narrative processing (60,129,130). This is supported by the close functional relationship between all three sets of co-activated networks, suggesting that the superior temporal, supramarginal, ventral precentral, and posterior medial regions all work together (see Figure 3a).…”

Section: Narrative Selfsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Rather, we suggest they are generally interactive and integrative (60, 141). More specifically, the HOLISTIC model introduced above formalises this interactivity and suggests a rationale for the 8.49% prevalence of language related terms in putatively non-language related clades (60). Namely, humans encounter and produce about 150,000 words a day.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…For example, both the embodied self-related processing clades resulted in anterior insula activity associated with, e.g., the terms ‘articulatory’ (clade one) and ‘phonological’ (clade two). The anterior insula is associated with both interoceptive processing and speech production, likely because autonomic/interoceptive processes like respiratory control are necessary for speech production and inner speech (60, 140). Thus, though these descriptions still fit within the general framework outlined here, they nonetheless suggest that clades found in this study are likely less functionally separable than they initially appear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individual differences in wellbeing are supported by separable sets of co-active self- and visual-attention-related brain networks

Ma,

Skipper

2023

Preprint

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How does the brain support 'wellbeing'? Because it is a multidimensional construct, it is likely the product of multiple co-active brain networks that vary across individuals. This is perhaps why prior neuroimaging studies have found inconsistent anatomical associations with wellbeing. Furthermore, these used 'laboratory-style' or 'resting-state' methods not amenable to finding manifold networks. To address these issues, we had participants watch a full-length romantic comedy-drama film during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We hypothesised that individual differences in wellbeing measured before scanning would be correlated with individual differences in brain networks associated with 'embodied' and 'narrative' self-related processing. Indeed, searchlight spatial inter-participant representational similarity and subsequent analyses revealed seven sets of co-activated networks associated with individual differences in wellbeing. Two were 'embodied self' related, including brain regions associated with autonomic and affective processing. Three sets were 'narrative self' related, involving speech, language, and autobiographical memory related regions. Finally, two sets of visual-attention related networks emerged. These results suggest that the neurobiology of wellbeing in the real-world is supported by diverse but functionally definable and separable sets of networks. This has implications for psychotherapy where individualised interventions might target, e.g., neuroplasticity in language-related narrative over embodied self or visual-attentional related processes.

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Section: Narrative Selfsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individual differences in wellbeing are supported by separable sets of co-active self- and visual-attention-related brain networks

Ma,

Skipper

2023

Preprint

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“…Contrary to occasional users, Santo Daime members have been indicated to show a diminished susceptibility to ayahuasca’s effects on self-consciousness and perception ( Ramaekers et al, 2023 ). The current findings of architectonic differentiation (denoted by decreased MS values) in cortices implicated in interoceptive and somatosensory functions (e.g., anterior insula, postcentral gyrus, precuneus) supporting both narrative and embodied self-consciousness ( Blanke, 2012 ; Milliere, 2017 ; Chen et al, 2021 ; Skipper, 2022 ) may consequently underlie longer-term compensatory neuroadaptative changes. Current mechanistic frameworks of acute psychedelic effects propose that 5-HT 2A agonists disinhibit thalamocortical pathways serving to gate sensory influx, leading to increased activation of cortical somatosensory areas ( Preller et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Cortical structural differences following repeated ayahuasca use hold molecular signatures

Mallaroni,

Mason,

Kloft

et al. 2023

Front. Neurosci.

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IntroductionSerotonergic psychedelics such as ayahuasca are reported to promote both structural and functional neural plasticity via partial 5-HT2A agonism. However, little is known about how these molecular mechanisms may extend to repeated psychedelic administration in humans, let alone neuroanatomy. While early evidence suggests localised changes to cortical thickness in long-term ayahuasca users, it is unknown how such findings may be reflected by large-scale anatomical brain networks comprising cytoarchitecturally complex regions.MethodsHere, we examined the relationship between cortical gene expression markers of psychedelic action and brain morphometric change following repeated ayahuasca usage, using high-field 7 Tesla neuroimaging data derived from 24 members of an ayahuasca-using church (Santo Daime) and case-matched controls.ResultsUsing a morphometric similarity network (MSN) analysis, repeated ayahuasca use was associated with a spatially distributed cortical patterning of both structural differentiation in sensorimotor areas and de-differentiation in transmodal areas. Cortical MSN remodelling was found to be spatially correlated with dysregulation of 5-HT2A gene expression as well as a broader set of genes encoding target receptors pertinent to ayahuasca’s effects. Furthermore, these associations were similarly interrelated with altered gene expression of specific transcriptional factors and immediate early genes previously identified in preclinical assays as relevant to psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity.ConclusionTaken together, these findings provide preliminary evidence that the molecular mechanisms of psychedelic action may scale up to a macroscale level of brain organisation in vivo. Closer attention to the role of cortical transcriptomics in structural-functional coupling may help account for the behavioural differences observed in experienced psychedelic users.

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“…Recent imaging works suggest that what predicts people coming out of various levels of unconsciousness, even in a resting state, are languagerelated regions (Pinto et al, 2017). I review a whole ton of evidence points toward a strong connection between language and consciousness (Skipper, 2022), which may come down to how we define consciousness and left hemisphere functioning.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

The intimacy of psychedelics, language, and consciousness.

Skipper,

Fejer,

Koroma

et al. 2024

Preprint

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This interview explores the intimate relationship between language and consciousness, drawing insights from aphasia phenomenology, psychedelic experiences, and neuroscientific theories. Jeremy I. Skipper, a cognitive neuroscientist, argues that language is not merely a tool for reporting conscious experiences but plays a generative role in shaping and sustaining consciousness itself. He critiques localizationist models of language processing, emphasizing the context-dependence and dynamic recruitment of brain regions. Parallels are drawn between the experiences of aphasic patients, who report a loss of self-narrative and increased connectedness, and the phenomenology of psychedelic states, which often involve a dissolution of linguistic categories and a sense of ineffability. Skipper outlines potential neural mechanisms linking language disruption to psychedelic experiences and discusses the UNITy Project, aimed in part at studying post-acute meaning-making processes and predicting changes in language and well-being after psychedelic sessions.

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A voice without a mouth no more: The neurobiology of language and consciousness

Cited by 8 publications

References 436 publications

Individual differences in wellbeing are supported by separable sets of co-active self- and visual-attention-related brain networks

Individual differences in wellbeing are supported by separable sets of co-active self- and visual-attention-related brain networks

Cortical structural differences following repeated ayahuasca use hold molecular signatures

The intimacy of psychedelics, language, and consciousness.

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