Brain Networks, Neurotransmitters and Psychedelics: Towards a Neurochemistry of Self-Awareness


Author: Daniel C Mograbi1,2, Rafael Rodrigues3, Bheatrix Bienemann3, Jonathan Huntley4,5

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. daniel.mograbi@kcl.ac.uk.

<sup>2</sup> Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. daniel.mograbi@kcl.ac.uk.

<sup>3</sup> Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

<sup>4</sup> Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.

<sup>5</sup> Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.
Conference/Journal: Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep
Date published: 2024 Jul 9
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s11910-024-01353-y.   ,  Word Count: 232  
    Purpose of review:

Self-awareness can be defined as the capacity of becoming the object of one's own awareness and, increasingly, it has been the target of scientific inquiry. Self-awareness has important clinical implications, and a better understanding of the neurochemical basis of self-awareness may help clarifying causes and developing interventions for different psychopathological conditions. The current article explores the relationship between neurochemistry and self-awareness, with special attention to the effects of psychedelics.



Recent findings:

The functioning of self-related networks, such as the default-mode network and the salience network, and how these are influenced by different neurotransmitters is discussed. The impact of psychedelics on self-awareness is reviewed in relation to specific processes, such as interoception, body ownership, agency, metacognition, emotional regulation and autobiographical memory, within a framework based on predictive coding. Improved outcomes in emotional regulation and autobiographical memory have been observed in association with the use of psychedelics, suggesting higher-order self-awareness changes, which can be modulated by relaxation of priors and improved coping mechanisms linked to cognitive flexibility. Alterations in bodily self-awareness are less consistent, being potentially impacted by doses employed, differences in acute/long-term effects and the presence of clinical conditions. Future studies investigating the effects of different molecules in rebalancing connectivity between resting-state networks may lead to novel therapeutic approaches and the refinement of existing treatments.



Keywords: Interoception; LSD; agency; emotional regulation; metacognition; psilocybin.



PMID: 38980658 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-024-01353-y