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New research in neuroimaging provides evidence that LSD, a psychedelic drug, impairs the ability of the thalamus to control the flow of sensory information to other areas of the brain.
The thalamus is a small part of the average brain through which most of the body's sensory inputs flow. The new discoveries, which appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that LSD decreases information filtering in the thalamus – allowing more information than normal to flood the brain.
"LSD and other psychedelics induce unique effects on perception and emotions. These effects may be of interest for understanding some symptoms in psychiatric patients (eg schizophrenia), but they could also be clinically beneficial for the treatment of other diseases (eg depression), "said Dr. 39, author of the study, Katrin Preller of Zurich.
"Therefore, understanding how LSD acts in the brain provides information about the functioning of our brain in general and may also have implications for the treatment of psychiatric disorders."
Based on fMRI data from 25 people aged 20 to 34, the researchers found that LSD modifies the connectivity between brain regions involved in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (SCC) loop. In particular, there was an increase in connectivity between the thalamus and several regions of the cortex.
"We tested a model that tries to explain the functioning of psychedelic in the brain based on animal studies and that has been around for about 20 years. We have shown that this model is generally true in humans: the thalamus, which usually filters information, sends more information to certain areas of the cortex, "Preller told PsyPost.
"This may explain why psychedelics induce overwhelming feelings reported by participants. This also highlights the importance of the links between the thalamus and some cortical areas in psychiatric symptoms. "
The researchers also found evidence that this was related to serotoninergic activity. Ketanserin, a serotonin 2A receptor antagonist – a drug that blocks serotonin receptors in the brain – has inhibited the effects of LSD on the mind.
But like all research, the study has some limitations.
"Currently, the method used only allowed us to test the connections between a limited number of areas of the brain. Testing different areas of the brain will provide a more complete picture in the future, "said Preller.
Katrin H. Preller, Adeel Razi, Peter Zeidman, Philipp Stämpfli, Karl J. Friston and Franz X. Vollenweider led the study.
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