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

Self-awareness—the capacity to make oneself the object of one's own attention—has clinical relevance, and understanding its neurochemical basis may clarify causes of and treatments for psychopathological conditions. This article reviews how psychedelics influence self-awareness by affecting brain networks such as the default-mode and salience networks, and neurotransmitters. Within a predictive-coding framework, it examines effects on interoception, body ownership, agency, metacognition, emotional regulation, and autobiographical memory. Improved emotional regulation and autobiographical memory have been observed with psychedelic use, suggesting changes in higher-order self-awareness, modulated by relaxed priors and enhanced cognitive flexibility. Bodily self-awareness alterations are less consistent, potentially varying with dose, acute versus long-term effects, and clinical conditions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

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. 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.