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Abstract:
The study of hallucinogens ("psychedelics") and related
substances offers a promising avenue to investigate biological
correlates of altered states of consciousness (ASC) (Vollenweider
1998a). In combination with functional brain imaging techniques and
pharmacological methodologies, these compounds are remarkable
molecular probes into the biochemistry and functional organization
of the brain in nonordinary states. The study of hallucinogens in
humans is important firstly because they profoundly affect a number
of brain functions that characterize the human mind, including
cognition, volition, emotion, ego and self-awareness, which cannot
be reliably studied in behavioral animal models. Secondly, because
they elicit a clinical syndrome resembling in several aspects the
first manifestation of schizophrenic disorders (Gouzoulis-Mayfrank
et al. 1998). The various forms of ego alterations are especially
prominent features of psychedelic and naturally occurring
psychoses. These alterations may range from a slight loosening of
ego boundaries to a dissolving of ego into an ecstatic oneness with
the cosmos. The dissolution of the self as a center of reference,
however, can also evoke anxiety and feelings of fragmentation,
confusion and disorganization resembling the core features of
schizophrenic ego disorders. Hence, studies of the neuronal
mechanisms of hallucinogen action should provide not only novel
insights into the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and
their treatment, but, in a broader sense, into the biology of
consciousness as a whole, for example, into the biology of ego
structuring processes.
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