Autonomic nervous system activity correlates with peak experiences induced by DMT and predicts increases in well-being.

Autor:	Bonnelle V; The Beckley Foundation, Oxford, UK., Feilding A; The Beckley Foundation, Oxford, UK., Rosas FE; Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.; Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK.; Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.; Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., Nutt DJ; Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK., Carhart-Harris RL; Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.; Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA., Timmermann C; Division of Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) [J Psychopharmacol] 2024 Oct; Vol. 38 (10), pp. 887-896. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 20.
DOI:	10.1177/02698811241276788
Abstrakt:	Background: Non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by psychedelics can be accompanied by so-called "peak experiences," characterized at the emotional level by their intensity and positive valence. These experiences are strong predictors of positive outcomes following psychedelic-assisted therapy, and it is therefore important to better understand their biology. Despite growing evidence that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in mediating emotional experiences, its involvement in the psychedelic experience is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent changes in the relative influence of the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous systems (PNS) over cardiac activity may reflect the subjective experience induced by the short-acting psychedelic N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Methods: We derived measures of SNS and PNS activity from the electrocardiograms of 17 participants (11 males, mean age = 33.8 years, SD = 8.3) while they received either DMT or placebo. Results: Results show that the joint influence of SNS and PNS ("sympathovagal coactivation") over cardiac activity was positively related to participants' ratings of "Spiritual Experience" and "Insightfulness" during the DMT experience, while also being related to improved well-being scores 2 weeks after the session. In addition, we found that the state of balance between the two ANS branches ("sympathovagal balance") before DMT injection predicted scores of "Insightfulness" during the DMT experience, as well as subsequent sympathovagal coactivation. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the involvement of the ANS in psychedelic-induced peak experiences and may pave the way to the development of biofeedback-based tools to enhance psychedelic therapy. Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsDJN reports advisory roles at Psyched Wellness, Neural Therapeutics, and Alvarius. The Imperial College psychedelic centre has received grant support from COMPASS Pathways, Usona, Beckley Psytech, Small pharma. RLC-H is a scientific advisor to MindState, Entheos Labs, and TRYP therapeutics. AF is Chair of Scientific Advisory board at Beckley Psytech. All other authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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