Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2024 Aug;24(8):323-340. doi: 10.1007/s11910-024-01353-y. Epub 2024 Jul 9.
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.
自我意识可以被定义为成为自身意识对象的能力，并且越来越多地成为科学探究的目标。自我意识具有重要的临床意义，对自我意识的神经化学基础有更深入的了解，可能有助于阐明不同精神病理状况的原因，并开发干预措施。本文探讨了神经化学与自我意识之间的关系，特别关注迷幻药的影响。
讨论了自我相关网络（如默认模式网络和突显网络）的功能，以及不同神经递质如何影响这些网络。在基于预测编码的框架内，回顾了迷幻药对自我意识的影响，涉及到内感受、身体所有权、自主性、元认知、情绪调节和自传体记忆等特定过程。与使用迷幻药相关的情绪调节和自传体记忆的改善结果表明存在更高阶的自我意识变化，这可以通过放松先验和改善与认知灵活性相关的应对机制来调节。身体自我意识的改变不太一致，可能受到所使用的剂量、急性/长期效应的差异以及临床状况的影响。未来研究调查不同分子在重新平衡静息态网络之间连接方面的作用，可能会导致新的治疗方法和现有治疗方法的改进。
