Psilocybin disrupts sensory and higher order cognitive processing but not pre-attentive cognitive processing—study on P300 and mismatch negativity in healthy volunteers

This double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study (n=20) found that psilocybin (18.2mg/70kg) disrupted certain auditory-related brain signals (P300, not MMN) which decreased in amplitude in correlation with higher psilocin serum levels (and more intense psychedelic experiences).

Abstract

Rationale Disruption of auditory event-related evoked potentials (ERPs) P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN), electrophysiological markers of attentive and pre-attentive cognitive processing, is repeatedly described in psychosis and schizophrenia. Similar findings were observed in a glutamatergic model of psychosis, but the role of serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors in information processing is less clear.

Objectives We studied ERPs in a serotonergic model of psychosis, induced by psilocybin, a psychedelic with 5-HT2A/C agonistic properties, in healthy volunteers.

Methods Twenty subjects (10M/10F) were given 0.26 mg/kg of psilocybin orally in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design. ERPs (P300, MMN) were registered during the peak of intoxication. Correlations between measured electrophysiological variables and psilocin serum levels and neuropsychological effects were also analyzed.

Results Psilocybin induced robust psychedelic effects and psychotic-like symptoms, decreased P300 amplitude (p = 0.009) but did not affect the MMN. Psilocybin’s disruptive effect on P300 correlated with the intensity of the psychedelic state, which was dependent on the psilocin serum levels. We also observed a decrease in N100 amplitude (p = 0.039) in the P300 paradigm and a negative correlation between P300 and MMN amplitude (p = 0.014).

Conclusions Even though pre-attentive cognition (MMN) was not affected, processing at the early perceptual level (N100) and in higher-order cognition (P300) was significantly disrupted by psilocybin. Our results have implications for the role of 5-HT2A receptors in altered information processing in psychosis and schizophrenia.”

Authors: Anna Bravermanová, Michaela Viktorinová, Filip Tylš, Tomáš Novák, Renáta Androvičová, Jakub Korčák, Jiří Horáček, Marie Balíková, Inga Griškova-Bulanova, Dominika Danielová, Přemysl Vlček, Pavel Mohr, Martin Brunovský, Vlastimil Koudelka & Tomáš Páleníček

Summary of Psilocybin disrupts sensory and higher order cognitive processing but not pre-attentive cognitive processing—study on P300 and mismatch negativity in healthy volunteers

Introduction

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are electrophysiological tools for studying sensory and informational processing deficits in schizophrenia, with deficits in both early as well as late ERPs frequently reported as being a trait marker of schizophrenia.

Auditory MMN is a negative component of ERPs generated with a latency of 100 – 200 ms after the presentation of a stimulus that deviates in one of its physical dimensions from the preceding frequently repeated standard stimuli.

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Study details

Compounds studied
Psilocybin

Topics studied
Neuroscience

Study characteristics
Original Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Within-Subject Randomized

Participants
20 Humans

Institutes

Institutes associated with this publication

National Institute of Mental Health
This company doesn't have a full profile yet, it is linked to a clinical trial.

Compound Details

The psychedelics given at which dose and how many times

Psilocybin 18 mg | 1x

Linked Research Papers

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Linked Clinical Trial

Animal and human serotonergic model of schizophrenia: validity evaluated by qEEG and fMRI
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