Brain networks are collections of different regions that show functional connectivity. But how do these areas of the mind adapt when using psychedelics? That’s something worth understanding.
We’ll be discussing how psychedelics impact entire brain systems. We’ll also look at how certain trips may lead to brain networks communicating with one another.
How Do Psychedelics Mix With The Different Brain Networks?
When it comes to psychedelics’ interacting with the brain, modern psychedelic neuroscience refers to three networks:
The Default Mode Network (DMN), the Central Executive Network (CEN), and finally the Salience Network. All three networks communicate and modulate each other during a psychedelic trip.
Intro Of The Default Mode Network (DMN) And The Central Executive Network (CEN)
The DMN and the CEN have a “negative correlation” with one another.
They’re not enemies, they just have inverse relationships — when the DMN is most active, the CEN quiets down. When it’s time for the CEN to be active, the DMN calms down.
Default Mode Network (DMN)
The Default Mode Network was intentionally ignored by the scientific field until it was discovered in 2001 by Dr. Marcus Raichle.
Raichle discovered the majority of being ‘conscious’ was actually the brain being in this “default” state, or the Default Mode Network. It’s a state of being that most consider “inactivity”.
Collapsing The DMN During A Trip
The structural integrity of the DMN begins to collapse, which means brain areas that make up the DMN begin to “decouple” or “segregate” from each other.
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