Recreational use of psychedelics is associated with elevated personality trait openness: Exploration of associations with brain serotonin markers
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Recreational use of psychedelics is associated with elevated personality trait openness : Exploration of associations with brain serotonin markers. / Erritzoe, David; Smith, James; Fisher, Patrick M.; Carhart-Harris, Robin; Frokjaer, Vibe G.; Knudsen, Gitte M.
In: Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 33, No. 9, 09.2019, p. 1068-1075.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Recreational use of psychedelics is associated with elevated personality trait openness
T2 - Exploration of associations with brain serotonin markers
AU - Erritzoe, David
AU - Smith, James
AU - Fisher, Patrick M.
AU - Carhart-Harris, Robin
AU - Frokjaer, Vibe G.
AU - Knudsen, Gitte M.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Background: Recent studies have suggested therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for a variety of mental health conditions. The understanding of how single psychedelic administrations can induce long-lasting effects are, in large, still lacking. However, recent studies in both healthy and clinical populations suggest a role for personality changes. Aim: To test support for some of these plausible mechanisms we evaluated (cross-sectional) associations between recreational use of psychedelics and 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and (a) personality measures and (b) key markers of cerebral serotonergic signalling (serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding). Methods: In 10 psychedelic-preferring recreational users, 14 MDMA-preferring users and 21 non-using controls, personality was assessed using the ‘big five‘ instrument Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). Frontal serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding potentials were quantified using [11C]DASB and [18F]altanserin positron emission tomography, respectively. Results: Of the five NEO-PI-R traits, only openness to experience scores differed between the three groups; psychedelic-preferring recreational users showing higher openness to experience scores when compared with both MDMA-preferring users and controls. Openness to experience scores were positively associated with lifetime number of psychedelic exposures, and among all MDMA-preferring user/psychedelic-preferring recreational user individuals, frontal serotonin transporter binding – but not frontal serotonin-2A-receptor binding – was positively associated with openness to experience. Conclusion: Our findings from this cross-sectional study support increasing evidence of a positive association between psychedelic experiences and openness to experience, and (a) expands this to the context of ‘recreational’ psychedelics use, and (b) links serotonergic neurotransmission to openness to experience. A modulation of personality induced by psychedelic experiences may have important therapeutic implications via its impact on peoples’ value systems, cognitive flexibility, and individual and social behaviour.
AB - Background: Recent studies have suggested therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for a variety of mental health conditions. The understanding of how single psychedelic administrations can induce long-lasting effects are, in large, still lacking. However, recent studies in both healthy and clinical populations suggest a role for personality changes. Aim: To test support for some of these plausible mechanisms we evaluated (cross-sectional) associations between recreational use of psychedelics and 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and (a) personality measures and (b) key markers of cerebral serotonergic signalling (serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding). Methods: In 10 psychedelic-preferring recreational users, 14 MDMA-preferring users and 21 non-using controls, personality was assessed using the ‘big five‘ instrument Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). Frontal serotonin transporter and serotonin-2A-receptor binding potentials were quantified using [11C]DASB and [18F]altanserin positron emission tomography, respectively. Results: Of the five NEO-PI-R traits, only openness to experience scores differed between the three groups; psychedelic-preferring recreational users showing higher openness to experience scores when compared with both MDMA-preferring users and controls. Openness to experience scores were positively associated with lifetime number of psychedelic exposures, and among all MDMA-preferring user/psychedelic-preferring recreational user individuals, frontal serotonin transporter binding – but not frontal serotonin-2A-receptor binding – was positively associated with openness to experience. Conclusion: Our findings from this cross-sectional study support increasing evidence of a positive association between psychedelic experiences and openness to experience, and (a) expands this to the context of ‘recreational’ psychedelics use, and (b) links serotonergic neurotransmission to openness to experience. A modulation of personality induced by psychedelic experiences may have important therapeutic implications via its impact on peoples’ value systems, cognitive flexibility, and individual and social behaviour.
KW - 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine
KW - Openness
KW - psychedelics
KW - serotonin
KW - serotonin transporter
U2 - 10.1177/0269881119827891
DO - 10.1177/0269881119827891
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 30816797
AN - SCOPUS:85062478595
VL - 33
SP - 1068
EP - 1075
JO - Journal of Psychopharmacology
JF - Journal of Psychopharmacology
SN - 0269-8811
IS - 9
ER -
ID: 241090010