Classical hallucinogens and neuroimaging: A systematic review of human studies

dos Santos, Rafael G.; Osório, Flávia L.; Crippa, José Alexandre S.; Hallak, Jaime E.C.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.026

Cited by 107Psychedelics and Drug StudiesHallucinations in medical conditionsNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Classical hallucinogens and neuroimaging: A systematic review of human studies

dos Santos, Rafael G., Osório, Flávia L., Crippa, José Alexandre S., Hallak, Jaime E.C.·2016·Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

DOI 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.026

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Abstract

Serotonergic hallucinogens produce alterations of perceptions, mood, and cognition, and have anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antiaddictive properties. These drugs act as agonists of frontocortical 5-HT 2A receptors, but the neural basis of their effects are not well understood. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of neuroimaging studies analyzing the effects of serotonergic hallucinogens in man. Studies published in the PubMed, Lilacs, and SciELO databases until 12 April 2016 were included using the following keywords: "ayahuasca", "DMT", "psilocybin", "LSD", "mescaline" crossed one by one with the terms "mri", "fmri", "pet", "spect", "imaging" and "neuroimaging". Of 279 studies identified, 25 were included. Acute effects included excitation of frontolateral/frontomedial cortex, medial temporal lobe, and occipital cortex, and inhibition of the default mode network. Long-term use was associated with thinning of the posterior cingulate cortex, thickening of the anterior cingulate cortex, and decreased neocortical 5-HT 2A receptor binding. Despite the high methodological heterogeneity and the small sample sizes, the results suggest that hallucinogens increase introspection and positive mood by modulating brain activity in the fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital cortex.

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The only recent review on imaging of hallucinogen actions focusses mainly on the fMRI literature.
“The only recent review on imaging of hallucinogen actions focusses mainly on the fMRI literature [8].”
From Molecular and Functional Imaging Studies of Psychedelic Drug Action in Animals and Humans. (2021) · cites this paper as [8]

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Authors: dos Santos, R. G., Osório, F. L., Crippa, J. A. S., & Hallak, J. E. C.
Affiliations: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (BR)
ORCID: Hallak, Jaime E.C.
Venue: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2016-12
Volume: 71
Pages: 715-728
ISSN: 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.026
OpenAlex: W2546678366
Cited by: 107
References: 23
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 10
FWCI: 1.84
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (1502848-2)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Hallucinations in medical conditions
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords: neuroimaging, brain activity, self-reflection, positive mood, receptor binding, methodological heterogeneity
MeSH terms: Cerebral Cortex, Hallucinogens, Humans, Male, Psilocybin, Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A, Neuroimaging

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Classical hallucinogens and neuroimaging: A systematic review of human studies

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