The Effect of LSD On Brian Entropy and The Personality Trait ‘Openness’ Nathaniel Green
In the paper “LSD-Induced Entropic Brain Activity Predicts Subsequent Personality Change,” the relationship between brain entropy while taking Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and the personality trait of openness two weeks later was examined (Lebedev et al. 2016). Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin have been known to change aspects of adult personality, despite being relatively fixed past the age of 30 (MacLean, Johnson, and Griffiths 2011). Nineteen healthy individuals, all of whom had prior experience with LSD, were given a dose of 75µg of LSD. These individuals then underwent three 7.5 minute fMRI scans to observe change in brain entropy. The first and third scans were in silence while the second was while listening to music. After each scan, subjects were questioned on the extent of ego dissolution experienced. Two weeks later the levels of ‘openness’ were assessed compared to a baseline previously taken. The results showed that LSD significantly increased openness, as well as global brain entropy, affecting all hierarchal levels of the brain, but most importantly the upper levels. Increases in entropy accurately predicted the increase of openness two weeks later, especially during and after the music listening session, and when ego dissolution was achieved. These findings illuminate the medium-term positive effects of psychedelics and correlates these with acute brain circuit changes. These findings support emerging arguments that LSD and other psychedelics could have a role in treatments for illnesses including treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.
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