[Neuroimaging correlates of classical psychedelics effects: A systematic review]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Classical psychedelics show promise for psychiatric disorders, but their neurological effects require further investigation.
• This systematic review focuses on the neuroimaging correlates of psychedelic substance effects.

Approach:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across Medline and Science Direct databases.
• 460 articles were screened, with 49 selected for analysis up to May 2022.

Key Points:

• Psychedelics reduce functional network integration and increase between-network connectivity.
• Impairments in thalamic gating and emotional processing were observed.
• Observed neuroimaging changes positively correlated with symptom improvement in patient populations.

Conclusions:

• Current understanding of psychedelic neurological effects is incomplete.
• Developing a unifying neurocognitive theory for psychedelic phenomenology remains a challenge.
• Future studies should involve larger cohorts, diverse psychiatric conditions, multiple neuroimaging modalities, and assess medium- to long-term effects.