Preller, K.H., Razi, A., Zeidman, P., Stämpfli, P., Friston, K.J., Vollenweider, F.X. (2019) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 116(7) , 2743-2748
Abstract
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over fMRI study (N=25 healthy participants) using spectral dynamic causal modeling to interrogate cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical (CSTC) effective connectivity under placebo, LSD, and ketanserin+LSD conditions. LSD increased thalamus→posterior cingulate cortex effective connectivity (5-HT2A receptor dependent) and decreased ventral striatum→thalamus effective connectivity (5-HT2A independent), consistent with proposed thalamic gating disruption and altered information flow underlying psychedelic phenomenology. Findings refine mechanistic CSTC models of psychedelic action and inform development of 5-HT2A-targeted therapeutics and translational research into psychopathology involving thalamocortical dysconnectivity.