Altered states phenomena induced by visual flicker light stimulation.

Hedwig Eisenbarth,Marie Therese Bartossek,Timo Torsten Schmidt,Johanna Kemmerer

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253779

Hedwig Eisenbarth, Marie Therese Bartossek + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253779

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Abstract

Flicker light stimulation can induce short-term alterations in consciousness including hallucinatory color perception and geometric patterns. In the study at hand, the subjective experiences during 3 Hz and 10 Hz stroboscopic light stimulation of the closed eyes were assessed. In a within-subjects design (N = 24), we applied the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (mood state), time perception ratings, the Altered State of Consciousness Rating Scale, and the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory. Furthermore, we tested for effects of personality traits (NEO Five-Factor Inventory-2 and Tellegen Absorption Scale) on subjective experiences. Such systematic quantification improves replicability, facilitates comparisons between pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques to induce altered states of consciousness, and is the prerequisite to study their underlying neuronal mechanisms. The resulting data showed that flicker light stimulation-induced states were characterized by vivid visual hallucinations of simple types, with effects strongest in the 10 Hz condition. Additionally, participants’ personality trait of Absorption scores highly correlated with the experienced alterations in consciousness. Our data demonstrate that flicker light stimulation is capable of inducing visual effects with an intensity rated to be similar in strength to effects induced by psychedelic substances and thereby support the investigation of potentially shared underlying neuronal mechanisms.

Highlights

The experimental investigation of the neuronal mechanisms underlying phenomena like hallucinations and perceptual distortions is of special interest for neuroscientific research
Results of the 5D-altered states of consciousness (ASCs)/11-ASC [25] with corresponding means, standard deviations, and pvalues for the comparison between the 3 Hz and 10 Hz conditions are provided in Fig 2 and Table 1
We found a descriptive trend for the global score for Altered State of Consciousness (G-ASC) score of the 10 Hz condition (14.2 ± 10.27) being higher than for the 3 Hz condition (12.04 ± 9.66), which did not exceed significance after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p = .034)

Summary

Introduction

The experimental investigation of the neuronal mechanisms underlying phenomena like hallucinations and perceptual distortions is of special interest for neuroscientific research. While typically occurring in a pathological context, such phenomena can be temporarily induced in healthy individuals. If experimentally induced phenomena are similar in their subjective experience to pathologic symptoms, they might share common neuronal mechanisms. The experimental induction of e.g., hallucinatory experiences and a systematic quantification of accompanying neuronal changes can crucially contribute to a better understanding of neuronal mechanisms involved in diverse psychopathologies.

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