Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that people on LSD and psilocybin showed signs of increased perception, and that the findings could change how we understand consciousness.
Here's what to know
Instead of looking at one altered state of consciousness in isolation via a brain scan, the team examined nine of them side by side, ranging from light sleep to an LSD experience, as Earth.com reported.
The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, suggests that psychedelics and anesthesia drive key markers of brain activity in opposite directions.
The researchers used functional MRI data from eight earlier studies and evaluated each state using three measures: how synchronized different brain regions were, how efficiently information could travel across the brain, and how many distinct interaction patterns unfolded over time.
Those measures generally rose in psychedelic states. In sleep and under propofol, they moved downward instead, and the reductions became larger as anesthesia doses increased.
As the scientists explained in the study, "Psychedelic and sedative states exhibit a robust 'mirror-image' pattern of integration and segregation … whereas sleep and propofol sedation show the opposite configuration [than psychedelics]."
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Rui Dai of the University of Michigan Medical School's anesthesiology department, who led the work with Zirui Huang, director of the university's Center for Consciousness Science, explained why the comparison stood out to Earth.com.
"In previous literature, each individual drug's influence on brain connectivity was analyzed separately," Dai told the outlet. She continued, "To our knowledge, no one has systematically assessed these two drug classes."
The study adds another layer to the long-running scientific question of which features of brain activity are most closely tied to consciousness.
More background
Psychedelics can heighten perception while leaving a person awake, whereas sleep and anesthesia usually dampen awareness, giving researchers a clearer side-by-side test than looking at each drug class alone.
It's important to note, though, that the study does not suggest that psychedelics "boost" consciousness in a simple way. Greater brain connectivity does not automatically mean greater consciousness.
As Dai concluded to Earth.com, "Overall, these results mean that during psychedelic states, the brain becomes more globally connected, more efficient in communication, and more dynamic, while anesthetic states are the opposite."
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at psilocybin treatments, trauma, and habits linked to cognitive health.
• In a breakthrough trial, a single dose of psilocybin beat the placebo against cocaine addiction.
• After climate disasters, survivors showed changes in brain function tied to trauma symptoms.
• Regular gardening was linked to keeping the brain sharp later in life.
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