Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Psychopharmacology Psychedelic Drugs LSD

LSD alters the neural response to music in a number of brain regions, study finds

by Eric W. Dolan
March 5, 2018
in LSD, Psychopharmacology
(Photo credit: Volodymyr Vechirnii)

(Photo credit: Volodymyr Vechirnii)

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

New research illuminates how the psychedelic drug LSD changes our perception of music. The study found that LSD altered the neural response to music in brain regions associated with auditory processing, memory, emotion, and self-directed thought.

“​I have always been fascinated by emotion, memory, and altered states of consciousness. To this end, I completed my PhD in cognitive neuroscience at UC Davis with Petr Janata, using computational models of music cognition to study the neural basis of emotions and memories evoked by music,” said study author Frederick Barrett of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“With the very powerful tools of psychedelic drugs becoming available to researchers, and with the very intimate connection between music and psychedelic subjective experiences, a natural question is: how do psychedelics alter how the brain processes music? Drs. Preller and Vollenweider, from the University of Zürich, conducted a study of the effects of LSD on meaning making during music listening, and were kind enough to collaborate with me and allow me to apply the computational models of music cognition that I had worked with in graduate school to analyze their imaging data collected during music listening after administration of LSD.”

In their study, Preller and Vollenweider first surveyed 25 healthy participants about songs that had personal meaning for them. The participants then listened to personally meaningful songs and non-meaningful songs after receiving LSD or a placebo. During one session they also received a dose of LSD combined with ketanserin, a drug which blocks the ability of LSD to act at serotonin 2A receptors.

The researchers found that non-meaningful songs gained a sense of meaningfulness under the influence of LSD. “Our results increase our understanding of how personal relevance attribution is enabled in the brain,” Preller explained.

In the original experiment, the researchers had recorded the brain activity of the participants using fMRI. Using a method known as tonality-tracking analysis, Barrett and his colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of this data.

They found that LSD changed the neural response to music in a number of brain regions, including the superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. The findings were published in the scientific journal Cerebral Cortex.

“Music can evoke a wide range of emotions, memories, and other feelings and states of mind. We can often identify with music, and music can change the way that we feel about and think about ourselves,” Barrett told PsyPost.

“In the same way, music also engages a broad range of brain regions involved in memory, emotion, attention, and self-directed thought. LSD increases the ​degree to which these brain areas process music, and it seems to use a brain mechanism that is shared across all psychedelic drugs (serotonin 2A receptor signaling).”

“These brain changes during music listening and LSD may (hypothetically) be the mechanism by which psychedelic drugs can be therapeutic,” Barrett said. “Also, these brain changes may uncover the underlying way that our brain makes meaning, with or without music and psychedelic drugs.”

Several studies have found evidence that psychedelic drugs can be of use in the treatment of psychiatric conditions. But there are still many unknowns.

“While psychedelic drugs can be safely administered in a controlled setting to properly screened individuals, they are still very powerful drugs that may not be safe for everyone and may not be safe in many circumstances. The degree to which these elements (music, LSD, and serotonin 2A receptor signaling) are necessary for any successful therapy has yet to be determined,” Barrett explained.

“The degree to which any of these elements interacts with challenging experiences (or ‘bad trips’) has yet to be determined. Also, the degree to which we can optimize music listening during psychedelic therapy sessions has yet to be determined, though these are all active areas of research.”

“Psychedelics are powerful drugs that hold promise to help us to heal, understand our brains and minds, and potentially uncover the elusive basis of consciousness itself,” Barrett added.

The study, “Serotonin 2A Receptor Signaling Underlies LSD-induced Alteration of the Neural Response to Dynamic Changes in Music“, was authored by Frederick S Barrett, Katrin H Preller, Marcus Herdener, Petr Janata, and Franz X Vollenweider.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin1Send

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Greedy people have more money but are less satisfied with their lives, according to new study

Virtual reality can inoculate people against the allure of alternative romantic partners, study finds

Young men rate their IQ as higher compared to age-matched women, but the reverse is true for older adults

Study finds harsh maternal discipline can leave daughters vulnerable to anxiety and depression

Listening in silence to someone with depression might increase their social anxiety, study suggests

RECENT

Those with dark personalities are more vulnerable to developing homonegative and transnegative views

Young men rate their IQ as higher compared to age-matched women, but the reverse is true for older adults

Social anxiety predicts body dysmorphic symptoms via appearance rejection sensitivity

Greedy people have more money but are less satisfied with their lives, according to new study

New research highlights the misinformation about misinformation research

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Psilocybin might help reduce rumination and suppressive thoughts in depressed patients

Study finds harsh maternal discipline can leave daughters vulnerable to anxiety and depression

Currently Playing

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Mental Health
Large-scale cross-cultural study provides insights into mating performance and singlehood

Large-scale cross-cultural study provides insights into mating performance and singlehood

Evolutionary Psychology
Disclosing victim status reduces online dating matches regardless of race or sex

Individuals with dark personality traits are less oriented towards long-term mating strategies

Dark Triad
Longitudinal study examines the effects of adversity on wise reasoning

New study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying Solomon’s paradox

Social Psychology
Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Cognitive Science
New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.