Neuroimage. Reports
June 1, 2026
Sarah Rempel, Maria McDonald, Veit Roessner et al.
Cognitive flexibility is a core executive function often impaired in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Mindfulness-based interventions have been hypothesized to improve cognitive flexibility and may be a promising adjunctive intervention for adolescents with OCD. The current study examines which cognitive neurophysiological processes underlie mindfulness-based interventions...
Translational Psychiatry
May 21, 2026
Francesco Bavato, Andrea E. Steuer, Anna M. Jacobsen et al.
Methamphetamine (METH, "Crystal Meth") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") are two types of substituted amphetamines that share structural-chemical similarities but exhibit contrasting acute and chronic effects including addictive liability. Tryptophan (TRY) pathways are involved in pleiotropic physiological functions at the interface of brain-body connections. Preclinical...
Brain
October 19, 2025
Rebecca C Coray, Vincent Beliveau, Josua Zimmermann et al.
1 citation
Regular recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") has been consistently linked to verbal memory dysfunctions, whose neurobiological origins remain unclear. Although neurochemical, structural, and functional alterations resulting from repeated MDMA intake have been identified in user populations, only limited knowledge exists regarding potential interrelationships...
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
June 1, 2024
Amelie Zacher, Josua Zimmermann, David M. Cole et al.
10 citations
Methamphetamine (METH, "Crystal Meth") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") share structural-chemical similarities but have distinct psychotropic profiles due to specific neurochemical actions. Previous research has suggested that their impact on social cognitive functions and social behaviour may differ significantly, however, direct comparisons of METH and MDMA users...
NeuroImage. Clinical
2024
Antje Opitz, Josua Zimmermann, David M. Cole et al.
2 citations
In stimulant use and addiction, conflict control processes are crucial for regulating substance use and sustaining abstinence, which can be particularly challenging in social-affective situations. Users of methamphetamine (METH, "Ice") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") both experience impulse control deficits, but display different social-affective and addictive profiles....
Journal of Clinical Medicine
March 24, 2023
Sarah Rempel, Lea L. Backhausen, Maria McDonald et al.
(1) Background: 1–2% of children and adolescents are affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The rigid, repetitive features of OCD and an assumed disability to inhibit recent mental representations are assumed to have led to a paradoxical advantage in that the Backward Inhibition (BI) effect was recently found to be lower in adolescents with OCD as compared to healthy controls. It was...
NeuroImage: Clinical
September 19, 2022
Josua Zimmermann, Nicole Friedli, Francesco Bavato et al.
14 citations
3,4–Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) is a serotonin- and noradrenaline-releasing substance, currently among the most widely used illicit substances worldwide. In animal studies, repeated exposure to MDMA has been associated with dendritic but also axonal degeneration in the brain. However, translation of the axonal findings, specifically, to humans has been repeatedly questioned...
Mindfulness
March 9, 2021
Sarah Ullrich, Lorenza S. Colzato, Nicole Wolff et al.
10 citations
Abstract Objectives Goal-direct actions require integrating processing of stimuli and responses, which is why close stimulus-response bindings have to be created. However, the strength of these bindings can be modified. The metacontrol state model (MSM) hypothesizes that this can be achieved through mindfulness meditation. Yet, the cognitive processes underlying possible effects of meditation...