Anxiety DisordersDepressive DisordersNeuroimaging & Brain MeasuresSubstance Use Disorders (SUD)Healthy VolunteersPsilocybin

Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems

The authors present a multimodal neuroimaging framework demonstrating fundamental principles of bidirectional coupling between whole-brain neuronal dynamics and neurotransmitter systems, and use it to causally link 5‑HT2A receptor stimulation by psilocybin to observed functional brain effects in healthy humans. This approach offers a mechanistic basis for understanding how serotonergic modulation may underlie psilocybin’s therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Authors

  • Gitte Knudsen
  • Robin Carhart-Harris
  • Morten Kringelbach

Published

PNAS
individual Study

Abstract

Significance In a technical tour de force, we have created a framework demonstrating the underlying fundamental principles of bidirectional coupling of neuronal and neurotransmitter dynamical systems. Specifically, in the present study, we combined multimodal neuroimaging data to causally explain the functional effects of specific serotoninergic receptor (5-HT 2A R) stimulation with psilocybin in healthy humans. Longer term, this could provide a better understanding of why psilocybin is showing considerable promise as a therapeutic intervention for neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, and addiction.

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Research Summary of 'Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems'

Editorial

βBlossom's Take

This is a technically ambitious paper, but its value is not just methodological showmanship. It is one of the clearer attempts to link whole-brain dynamics to a specific serotonergic target in humans, which makes the psilocybin mechanism discussion more concrete than broad network metaphors alone.

Study Details

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