Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
July 1, 2026
Karl Kristjan Kaup, Javier Hidalgo Jiménez, Jaan Aru
Classical serotonergic psychedelics primarily exert their profound effects through agonism at the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor, which is abundantly expressed in many cortical regions, particularly in layer V pyramidal neurons of associative and visual areas. At the cellular level, these receptors are predominantly localized postsynaptically on the soma and apical dendrites. This review...
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
June 1, 2026
Javier Hidalgo Jiménez, Karl Kristjan Kaup, Jaan Aru
1 citation
Serotonergic psychedelics are known for their profound effects on consciousness and are gaining renewed interest as potential psychiatric treatments. These advances underscore the need to clarify the mechanisms of action of these compounds. This systematic review compiles and critically evaluates 23 in vitro and 26 in vivo electrophysiological studies on psychedelic compounds, with an emphasis...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 16, 2026
Marten Kase, Karl Kristjan Kaup, Jaan Aru
1 citation
We carried out a systematic review of modern-era (1990-2025) placebo-controlled studies assessing the acute and post-acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide, dimethyltryptamine and psilocybin on cognitive and psychological functions. From February 28 to March 19, 2025, PubMed and APA PsychINFO were systematically searched for placebo-controlled studies examining the influence of...
Philosophical Psychology
2026
Juensung J. Kim, Kadi Tulver, Jaan Aru et al.
1 citation
We argue that the powerful transformative effects of mystical-type experiences can be understood using the same machinery that underlies insight problem solving, and that both mystical experiences and insight are species of a genus of “realization experiences”: experiences wherein some phenomenon or piece of information becomes suddenly experienced as real or true. Specifically, we argue that...
Front Psychiatry
March 1, 2023
Karl Kristjan Kaup, Madis Vasser, Kadi Tulver et al.
22 citations
Psychedelic replications in virtual reality and their potential as a therapeutic instrument: an open-label feasibility study.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2023
Karl Kristjan Kaup, Madis Vasser, Kadi Tulver et al.
3 citations
correction
Karl Kristjan Kaup1*, Madis Vasser1, Kadi Tulver1, Mari Munk2, Juhan Pikamäe1,3, Jaan Aru1*correcting author names or adding authors. Insert the correct version of the author list)1 Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia2 Psychiatry Clinic of North Estonia Medical Centre3 Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia* Correspondence:...
November 26, 2021
Kadi Tulver, Karl Kristjan Kaup, Ruben Laukkonen et al.
16 citations
preprint
Occasionally, a solution or idea arrives as a sudden understanding - an insight. Insight has been considered an “extra” ingredient of creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we propose that insight is central in seemingly distinct areas of research. Drawing on literature from a variety of fields, we show that besides being commonly studied in problem-solving literature, insight is also a...