UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Neurophysiologic correlates to sensory and cognitive processing in altered states of consciousness Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3gv8j4jk Author Cahn, Baruch Rael Publication Date 2007 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California i UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Neurophysiologic Correlates to Sensory and Cognitive Processing in Altered States of Consciousness A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Neurosciences by Baruch Rael Cahn Committee in charge: Mark Geyer, Chair John Polich, Co-Chair Steve Hillyard Martin Paulus Jaime Pineda Vilayanur Ramachandran Franz Vollenweider 2007 ii Copyright Baruch Rael Cahn, 2007 All Rights Reserved iii The Dissertation of Baruch Rael Cahn is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ Co-Chair _______________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2007 iii iv DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis in loving memory to my sister Lotus Blossom Cahn who passed away in 2005 from cancer of the thymus. May the love she brought to all those whose lives she touched live on through us and reach out to the world we inhabit. iv v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ………………………………………………………………..………. iii Dedication ……………….……………………………………………………………. iv Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………..……… v List of Figures …………………………………………………..……………………. vi List of Tables …………………………………………………..…………………….. x Acknowledgments ……….…………………………………………………………… xi Vita …………………………………………………………………………….……… xiii Abstract ………………………………………………………………………..……… xiv Introduction …………………………………………………………………....……… 1 Chapter 1, Meditation States and Traits: EEG, ERP, and Neuroimaging Studies ……. 5 Chapter 2, The effects of meditation on the processing of auditory stimulation as assessed by event-related potentials and induced theta power………………….. 88 Chapter 3, 5HT1a/2a agonist psilocybin causes increased early visual processing but decreased later cognitive processing……………………………………………. 125 Chapter 4, Psilocybin and illusory contour processing: Altered spatiotemporal brain dynamics during the perception of a visual illusion………………………. 190 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….……… 256 References …………………………………………………………………………… 260 v vi LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 1, Figure 1, Schematic illustration of evoked and event-related brain potentials from auditory stimuli…………………………………..………………………… 46 Chapter 2, Figure 1, Grand average waveforms for the Standard, Target and Distracter trials…………………………………..……………………………………..…. 113 Chapter 2, Figure 2, N1 component amplitudes to Standard Stimuli………………... 114 Chapter 2, Figure 3, N1 component amplitudes to Oddball Stimuli………………… 115 Chapter 2, Figure 4, N1 component amplitudes to Distracter Stimuli……………...... 116 Chapter 2, Figure 5, P2 component amplitudes to Standard Stimuli……………….. 117 Chapter 2, Figure 6, P2 component amplitudes to Oddball Stimuli……………….... 118 Chapter 2, Figure 7, P2 component amplitudes to Distracter Stimuli………………. 119 Chapter 2, Figure 8, P3a component amplitude to Distracter Stimuli………....……... 120 Chapter 2, Figure 9, Distracter-Induced Frontocentral Theta Power……...…………. 122 Chapter 2, Figure 10, Correlation between 3-4 Hz theta power and P2 amplitude to the distracter stimuli……………………………………………………………. 124 Chapter 3, Figure 1, Standard, target and distracter stimuli employed in the visual oddball paradigm………………………………………………………………………... 166 Chapter 3, Figure 2, Mean percentage scores of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale ……………………………………………………………………. 167 Chapter 3, Figure 3, Accuracy and reaction time performance on the visual oddball task……………………………………………………………………………… 168 vi vii Chapter 3, Figure 4, Grand average wave forms for the Standard, Target and Distracter trials in all three dose conditions ……………………………………………….. 169 Chapter 3, Figure 5, Scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power for the P1 component to the Standard stimuli……………………………………………… 172 Chapter 3, Figure 6, Scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power for the P1 component to the Target stimuli………………………………………………... 172 Chapter 3, Figure 7, P1 latency, amplitude and scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power the Distracter stimuli………………………………………………. 173 Chapter 3, Figure 8, Scalp distribution for the N1 at the peak of the global field power to the Standard stimuli…………………………………………………………….. 175 Chapter 3, Figure 9, Scalp distribution for the N1 at the peak of the global field power to the Target stimuli……………………………………………………………….. 175 Chapter 3, Figure 10, N1 latency, amplitude, and scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power to the Distracter stimuli…………………………………….. 176 Chapter 3, Figure 11, Scalp distribution for the P2 at the peak of the global field power to the Standard stimuli…………………………………………………………….. 178 Chapter 3, Figure 12, Scalp distribution for the P2 at the peak of the global field power to the Target stimuli……………………………………………………………….. 178 Chapter 3, Figure 13, P2 amplitude and scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power to the Distracter stimuli…………………………………………………. 179 Chapter 3, Figure 14, Scalp distribution for the P3 at the peak of the global field power to the Standard stimuli…………………………………………………………….. 180 vii viii Chapter 3, Figure 15, Scalp distribution for the P3 at the peak of the global field power to the Target stimuli……………………………………………………………….. 181 Chapter 3, Figure 16, P3 latency, amplitude, and scalp distribution at the peak of the global field power to the Distracter stimuli…………………………………….. 182 Chapter 3, Figure 17, Scalp distribution for the N600 for the Standard stimuli……… 184 Chapter 3, Figure 18, Amplitude and Scalp distribution for the N600 for the Distracter stimuli…………………………………………………………………………... 185 Chapter 3, Figure 19, Theta power scalp distribution for the Standard stimuli………. 186 Chapter 3, Figure 20, Theta Power scalp distribution for the Target timuli………...... 186 Chapter 3, Figure 21, Theta Power scalp distribution for the Distracter stimuli……… 187 Chapter 3, Figure 22, Correlation of theta power and reported psychometric scales…. 188 Chapter 4, Figure 1, Kanizsa stimuli………………………………………………….. 240 Chapter 4, Figure 2, Mean percentage scores + SEM of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale…………………………………………………..... 241 Chapter 4, Figure 3, Accuracy and reaction time performance on the real and illusory contour (Kanizsa) visual detection task trials………………………………….. 242 Chapter 4, Figure 4, Accuracy and reaction time performance on the Kanizsa triangle and control figure trials for the ERP paradigm……………………………………… 243 Chapter 4, Figure 5, Grand average wave forms for the Kanizsa triangle trials……… 244 Chapter 4, Figure 6, P100 scalp map to Kanizsa triangle……………………………. 245 Chapter 4, Figure 7, Scalp distribution for the N170 component at the peak latency for each of the dose conditions…………………………………………………….. 246 viii ix Chapter 4, Figure 8, P300 scalp map to Kanizsa triangle……………………………. 247 Chapter 4, Figure 9, Psilocybin dose effect on P100 component amplitude…………. 248 Chapter 4, Figure 10, Psilocybin dose effect on N170 component amplitude……….. 249 Chapter 4, Figure 11, P300 component difference map……………………………… 250 Chapter 4, Figure 12, Psilocybin dose effect on P300 component amplitude……….. 251 Chapter 4, Figure 13, Difference maps for theta power depicting the difference between pre and post stimulus theta power…………………………………………….... 252 Chapter 4, Figure 14, 10-12 Hz power difference map; poststimulus - prestimulus alpha power…………………………………………………………………………… 253 Chapter 4, Figure 15, Psilocybin dose effect on illusory contour-induced frontal theta power…………………………………………………………………………… 254 Chapter 4, Figure 16, Psilocybin dose effect on illusory contour-induced alpha power…………………………………………………………………………… 255 ix x LIST OF TABLES Chapter 1, Table 1, Summary of Meditation Studies Using Electroencephalographic (EEG) Methods…………………………………………………………..…………… 16 Chapter 1, Table 2, Summary of Meditation Studies Using Evoked Potential (EP) or Event-Related Potential (ERP) Methods…………………………………..…………. 47 Chapter 1, Table 3, Summary of Meditation Studies Using Neuroimaging Methods………………………………………………………………………………. 66 Chapter 3, Table 1, Percent correct response and reaction time for the three psilocybin dose conditions……………………………………………………………………….. 166 x xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Mark Geyer for his support as the chair of my committee and making possible the work with Franz Vollenweider at the University of Zurich, as well as helping to guide the development of the general research strategy comparing meditation and psilocybin-induced brain activity changes. I thank John Polich for his support and encouragement in the development of the meditation research done in his lab in San Diego. I thank Franz Vollenweider for his support in welcoming me to Switzerland and facilitating the psilocybin research in his lab in Zurich. I thank all three of these scientific mentors for their support in the investigation of the challenging and relatively unchartered field of neurophysiologic investigation into altered states of consciousness with human subjects and guidance in the ways of scientific research generally. I thank Arnaud DeLorme for his support, love, and friendship through my graduate student years