Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression

Wall, Matthew B.; Lam, Cynthia; Ertl, Natalie; Kaelen, Mendel; Roseman, Leor; Nutt, David; Carhart‐Harris, Robin

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.081

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Differences in the functional connectivity of the medial pre-frontal cortex and hippocampus were also identified following treatment with psilocybin in the same patient group. Further work from the same cohort has found increased responses to emotional stimuli in the amygdala [ 46 ], that changes in amygdala connectivity are predictive of some clinical outcomes [ 47 ], and that patients show an increased brain response to music stimuli following treatment [ 48 ]. Analogous effects (changes in neural emotional processing, increased positive affect, reduced anxiety) have also been reported in a small group of healthy volunteers with one-week and one-month follow-up assessments [ 49 ].…”

Section: Neuroimaging In Clinical Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, regarding question 1, to our knowledge no published study has so far examined both acute and longer-term effects on the brain in the same cohort. Some studies have identified relationships between subjective or questionnaire measures of acute effects and post-treatment neural responses (e.g., [ 48 ]). However, directly testing the relationship between the network-disintegration seen in acute fMRI studies [ 21 ] with longer-term measures (of neuroplasticity, emotional function, or any of the other previously identified post-dosing changes, both neurological and behavioural/clinically-relevant) would be a crucial test of current theories of psychedelic effects [ 23 , 58 ].…”

Section: The Future Of Psychedelic Neuroimagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neuroimaging in psychedelic drug development: past, present, and future

Wall,

Harding,

Zafar

et al. 2023

Mol Psychiatry

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Psychedelic therapy (PT) is an emerging paradigm with great transdiagnostic potential for treating psychiatric disorders, including depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and potentially others. ‘Classic’ serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which have a key locus of action at the 5-HT2A receptor, form the main focus of this movement, but substances including ketamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ibogaine also hold promise. The modern phase of development of these treatment modalities in the early 21st century has occurred concurrently with the wider use of advanced human neuroscientific research methods; principally neuroimaging. This can potentially enable assessment of drug and therapy brain effects with greater precision and quantification than any previous novel development in psychiatric pharmacology. We outline the major trends in existing data and suggest the modern development of PT has benefitted greatly from the use of neuroimaging. Important gaps in existing knowledge are identified, namely: the relationship between acute drug effects and longer-term (clinically-relevant) effects, the precise characterisation of effects at the 5-HT2A receptor and relationships with functional/clinical effects, and the possible impact of these compounds on neuroplasticity. A road-map for future research is laid out, outlining clinical studies which will directly address these three questions, principally using combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods, plus other adjunct techniques. Multimodal (PET/MRI) studies using modern PET techniques such as the 5-HT2A-selective ligand [11 C]Cimbi-36 (and other ligands sensitive to neuroplasticity changes) alongside MRI measures of brain function would provide a ‘molecular-functional-clinical bridge’ in understanding. Such results would help to resolve some of these questions and provide a firmer foundation for the ongoing development of PT.

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Section: Neuroimaging In Clinical Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Future Of Psychedelic Neuroimagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroimaging in psychedelic drug development: past, present, and future

Wall,

Harding,

Zafar

et al. 2023

Mol Psychiatry

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“…Notably, Kaelen et al (2015) found that music-evoked emotions – especially emotions linked to “Transcendence” – are enhanced by a high dose of the classic psychedelic LSD. Recent studies have begun to explore the corresponding neural correlates ( Kaelen et al, 2016 ; Wall et al, 2023 ), including a focus on parahippocampal connectivity to visual areas ( Kaelen et al, 2016 ). However, as with FLS, little is known about the psychological and neurological mechanisms of the emotional enhancement of music, beyond these preliminary findings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: a comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

Montgomery,

Amaya,

Schmidt

2024

Front. Psychol.

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Flicker light stimulation (FLS) is a non-pharmacological method of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs), producing hallucination-like phenomena as well as effects extending beyond the visual modality, including emotional effects. Research into the psychological and neural mechanisms of FLS is still in its infancy, but can be informed by research into other methods of inducing ASCs. For instance, research on classic psychedelics has reported enhancement of emotional responses to music. Here, we test to what degree FLS might also enhance the emotional response to music, using a study protocol designed to resemble a previous study on the effects of LSD as closely as possible, to allow for comparison of effect sizes across modalities and inform future research into FLS as an ASC-induction method. Twenty participants listened to emotionally evocative music in two conditions – with and without FLS – and reported on their emotional response to the music. FLS showed a significant enhancing effect on reported music-evoked emotion, especially emotions relating to “Joyful Activation”; additionally, we found that the experienced intensity of FLS correlated with reports of higher levels of emotional arousal. These findings motivate further research into FLS as a method for inducing ASCs and into the interactions between visual phenomena and music-evoked emotion.

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“…In support of this, Kaelen et al (29) found that music-evoked emotions -especially emotions linked to 'transcendence' -are indeed enhanced by a high dose of LSD. Recent studies have begun to explore the corresponding neural correlates (30,31), including a focus on parahippocampal connectivity to visual areas (30). However, beyond these preliminary findings, little is known about the psychological and neurological mechanisms of the emotional enhancement of music.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: A comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

Montgomery¹,

Amaya²,

Schmidt³

2023

Preprint

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Recent research on serotonergic psychedelics has reported enhancement of emotional responses to music, an effect that might prove relevant in the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Currently, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this effect, especially how specific it is to psychedelics. Here, we use flicker light stimulation (FLS) as an alternative, non-pharmacological method to induce altered states of consciousness, and test to what degree this might also enhance the emotional response to music. Our study protocol was designed to resemble a previous study on the effects of LSD as closely as possible, to allow direct comparison of effect sizes. Twenty participants listened to emotionally evocative music in two sessions – with and without FLS – and reported on their emotional response to the music. Our sample reported similar baseline responses to participants in the original study. FLS showed a significant enhancing effect on reported music-evoked emotion of approximately half the effect-size of LSD. Additionally, we found that the experienced intensity of FLS and the prevalence of complex imagery correlated with reports of higher levels of emotional arousal. These findings suggest that visual effects are involved in the enhancement of music-evoked emotion, and motivate further exploration of non-pharmacological methods such as FLS, in line with the diverse use of altered states of consciousness to support therapeutic approaches.

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Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression

Cited by 12 publications

References 82 publications

Neuroimaging in psychedelic drug development: past, present, and future

Neuroimaging in psychedelic drug development: past, present, and future

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: a comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: A comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

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