Cited by 256Psychedelics and Drug StudiesFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesSchizophrenia research and treatment

Functional Connectivity Measures After Psilocybin Inform a Novel Hypothesis of Early Psychosis

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Carhart-Harris, Robin L., Leech, Robert, Erritzoe, David, Williams, Tim M., Stone, James M., Evans, John, Sharp, David J., Feilding, Amanda +2 more·2013·Schizophrenia Bulletin

Abstract

Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic and a candidate drug model of psychosis. This study measured the effects of psilocybin on resting-state network and thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fifteen healthy volunteers received intravenous infusions of psilocybin and placebo in 2 task-free resting-state scans. Primary analyses focused on changes in FC between the default-mode- (DMN) and task-positive network (TPN). Spontaneous activity in the DMN is orthogonal to spontaneous activity in the TPN, and it is well known that these networks support very different functions (ie, the DMN supports introspection, whereas the TPN supports externally focused attention). Here, independent components and seed-based FC analyses revealed increased DMN-TPN FC and so decreased DMN-TPN orthogonality after psilocybin. Increased DMN-TPN FC has been found in psychosis and meditatory states, which share some phenomenological similarities with the psychedelic state. Increased DMN-TPN FC has also been observed in sedation, as has decreased thalamocortical FC, but here we found preserved thalamocortical FC after psilocybin. Thus, we propose that thalamocortical FC may be related to arousal, whereas DMN-TPN FC is related to the separateness of internally and externally focused states. We suggest that this orthogonality is compromised in early psychosis, explaining similarities between its phenomenology and that of the psychedelic state and supporting the utility of psilocybin as a model of early psychosis.

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Crossref · 10.1093/schbul/sbs117

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  • There is some evidence to suggest that the psychedelic state produces co-activation between the DMN and task positive networks.

    “There is some evidence to suggest that the psychedelic state produces co-activation between the DMN and task positive networks (a network of brain regions which activate during attention demanding tasks), two networks which are usually anti-correlated [35].”

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Authors
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Leech, R., Erritzoe, D., Williams, T. M., Stone, J. M., Evans, J., Sharp, D. J., Feilding, A., Wise, R. G., & Nutt, D. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • Imperial College London (GB)
  • Cardiff University (GB)
  • Beckley Foundation (GB)
Corresponding author
Carhart-Harris, Robin L.
Venue
Schizophrenia Bulletin
Published
2012-10-06
Volume
39
Issue
6
Pages
1343-1351
ISSN
  • 0586-7614 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-1701
OpenAlex
W2122335802
Cited by
256
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 9
FWCI
13.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Schizophrenia Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (ACF-2013-21-501, NIHR-RP-011-048)
  • Medical Research Council (MR/K015192/1, MR/J00460X/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords
psilocybin, early psychosis
MeSH terms
Adult, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Hallucinogens, Humans, Male, Nerve Net, Psilocybin, Psychoses, Substance-Induced, Psychotic Disorders, Thalamus, Reproducibility of Results, Cerebrum, Young Adult, Connectome

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