ReviewAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences2025
The neurobiology of altered states of consciousness induced by drumming and other rhythmic sound patterns.
Review in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Consciousness in the Brain: An Integrative Review of Contemporary Theories.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Rhythmicity and Trait Absorption Are Linked to Nonordinary States of Consciousness.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2026Article
- The neurobiology of altered states of consciousness induced by drumming and other rhythmic sound patterns.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Humans have long sought to alter their mental states through various cultural practices, with rhythmic sounds emerging as a prominent and enduring method. However, altered states of consciousness induced by rhythmic auditory stimulation have not been comprehensively addressed in academic research, and the associated cognitive and neural underpinnings remain enigmatic. This narrative review synthesizes the behavioral, cognitive, and neural correlates underlying nonordinary experiences elicited by rhythmic sounds. The evidence gathered aligns with the notion that being exposed to these sounds facilitates a state of absorption and relaxation. The findings on the neural activity were diverse, reflecting the use of various methodologies in the reviewed studies. We discussed that altered states induced by rhythmic sounds may be explained by a mechanism involving the entrainment of thalamocortical pathways to low-frequency activity-a physiological state that also characterizes psychotic and psychedelic experiences. This proposal integrates insights from diverse findings, which reflect the variability in methodologies used to address these phenomena.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.