Research Square
March 21, 2022
Maddie Palmer, Olivia Maynard
4 citations
preprint
Abstract Background. Alongside a recent revival in the use of psychedelics in clinical settings, there have been increases in the prevalence of recreational use, with many using psychedelics to deal with difficult emotions or to improve wellbeing. While clinical research is conducted in carefully controlled settings, this is not necessarily the case for recreational use. In this mixed-methods...
Research Square
March 8, 2022
Gabriella Smedfors, Elliot J. Glotfelty, Negar Kalani et al.
8 citations
preprint
Abstract Psilocybin is a psychedelic substance approaching clinical use. The drug has long-lasting effects after single or multiple administrations and enhances structural plasticity in the brain. Little is known if the plasticity inducing effects of psilocybin could be timed to other treatments and promote a larger effect. We investigated the effect of psilocybin on cultured mouse hippocampal...
Research Square
February 25, 2022
Sofia Tzioridou, Martin Dresler, Kristian Sandberg et al.
preprint
A theoretical and empirical association between lucid dreaming and mindfulness, as well as lucid dreaming and nightmares has previously been observed; however, the relationship between nightmares and mindfulness has received surprisingly little attention. Here, we present the findings of two studies exploring the relation of nightmare frequency and distress with two components of mindfulness,...
Research Square
February 14, 2022
Sachin Ahuja, Madeline Brendle, Leo Smart et al.
2 citations
preprint
Abstract Background Ketamine has emerged as a promising pharmacotherapy for depression and other mental illnesses, and the intramuscular (IM) administration of ketamine is now offered at many North American outpatient psychiatric clinics. However, a characterization of the outpatient population receiving IM ketamine treatment, and an evaluation of the real-world efficacy and safety of long-term...
Research Square
January 25, 2022
Joseph T. la Torre, Mehdi Mahammadli, Kyle T. Greenway et al.
18 citations
preprint
Abstract Background Currently, personal or familial histories of psychotic symptoms are exclusionary criteria for most psychedelic clinical trials, studies, and treatment programs. This study sought to determine why such an exclusion exists, what the implications of the exclusion criteria are, and if there was agreement in expert opinion. Methods In-depth interviews with 12 experts in the...
Research Square
January 6, 2022
Hadley Rahrig, David R. Vago, Matthew A. Passarelli et al.
2 citations
preprint
Abstract This meta-analysis sought to expand upon neurobiological models of mindfulness through investigation of inherent brain network connectivity outcomes, indexed via resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of rsFC as an outcome of mindfulness training (MT) relative to structurally-equivalent programs, with the hypothesis that that MT...
Research Square
December 30, 2021
Jelle Lubbers, Dirk E. M. Geurts, Imke Hanssen et al.
preprint
Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a promising treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). One of the proposed working mechanisms of MBCT in attenuating depressive symptoms is through the reduction of depressive rumination. In BD the effect of MBCT on rumination is less well studied. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect...
Research Square
July 15, 2021
Zhiwei Wang, Ao Zhou, Xin Liu
preprint
Abstract: For a long time, the system of scientific methodology has been composed of logic, empirical (falsification), qualitative, quantitative and deterministic, and corresponding thinking tools. However, under the background of complexity science, the category of methodology should be changed, that is, on the basis of traditional methodology, non-classical logic, hierarchy, stereotype...
Research Square
June 15, 2021
Dennis Parker Kelley, Katy Venable, Gerald Billac et al.
1 citation
preprint
Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with cognitive deficits, oxidative stress and inflammation. N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a known neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and psychoplastogen with antidepressant effects. Therefore, we tested the capacity of DMT, the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) harmaline, and “pharmahuasca” (DMT + harmaline) to reduce...
Research Square
May 20, 2021
Richard E. Daws, Christopher Timmerman, Bruna Giribaldi et al.
11 citations
preprint
Abstract Importance Psilocybin therapy shows antidepressant potential; our data link its antidepressant effects to decreased brain network modularity post-treatment. Objective To assess the sub-acute impact of psilocybin on brain activity in patients with depression. Design Pre vs post-treatment resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) was recorded in two trials: 1) Open-label treatment-resistant...
Research Square
April 9, 2021
Tadaaki Hosaka
preprint
Background: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) has been attracting attention as a theory of consciousness. The latest version, IIT3.0, is still at the stage of accumulating knowledge concerning fundamental networks. This paper presents an evaluation of the system-level integrated conceptual information of a major complex, ΦMax, associated with the center of consciousness for a small-scale...
Research Square
November 30, 2020
Brandon Weiss, Joshua D. Miller, Nathan T. Carter et al.
7 citations
preprint
Abstract The present study examines the association between the ceremonial use of ayahuasca – a decoction combining the Banistereopsis caapi vine and N,N Dimethyltryptamine-containing plants – and changes in personality traits as conceived by the Five-Factor model (FFM); as well as the degree to which demographic characteristics, baseline personality, and acute post-ayahuasca experiences affect...
Research Square
October 27, 2020
Gaurav Bajaj
preprint
Abstract Humans have always thought of consciousness as property possessed by a living organism, without being able to properly define it in scientific terms. Many articles have been published to explain what consciousness is. In this article, consciousness has been defined as a quantity (‘variable’ would be a better word according to mathematics), which is linked with entropy of the system....
Research Square
August 17, 2020
Thomas Andrillon, Angus C. Burns, Teigane Mackay et al.
preprint
Abstract Attentional lapses are ubiquitous and can negatively impact performance. They correlate with mind wandering, or thoughts that are unrelated to ongoing tasks and environmental demands. In other cases, the stream of consciousness itself comes to a halt and the mind goes blank. What happens in the brain that leads to these mental states? To understand the neural mechanisms underlying...
Research Square
July 7, 2020
preprint
Fear of COVID-19 and Mental Health: The Role of Mindfulness in During Time of Crisis
Research Square
Ulrich Gergs, Hannes Jacob, Pauline Braekow et al.
1 citation
preprint
Abstract Introduction: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is an artificial hallucinogenic drug. Thus, we hypothesized that LSD might act 5-HT4 serotonin receptors and/or H2 histamine receptors. Methods: We studied isolated electrically stimulated left atrial preparations, spontaneously beating right atrial preparations, and spontaneously beating Langendorff-perfused hearts from transgenic mice...
Research Square
Sean M. Viña
preprint
Abstract Background: Due to increasing cultural and legal acceptance of psychedelics, there is a need to understand their potential influence on formal mental health care. This paper examines the connection between psychedelics, distress, and treatment utilization. Are psychedelic users less likely to use formal mental health care? Methods This study tests the relationship between psychedelics...
Research Square
Katelyn Halpape, Raelle Pashovitz, Annabelle Wanson et al.
preprint
Abstract Background Ketamine is a promising therapy for treatment-resistant depression due to its rapid onset, although benefits are often transitory, with patients needing maintenance therapy to prevent relapse. Most data supporting ketamine for treatment-resistant depression refers to the intravenous route of administration, leaving alternative routes lacking in data, especially as...
Research Square
Majid Eslami, Laleh Khorshidi, Maryam Ghasemi et al.
preprint
Abstract 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or "Ecstasy", which has been used for recreational purposes, is shown to cause learning and memory impairment. Statins, beyond their efficient cholesterol-lowering action through inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-COA) reductase, possess multiple neuroprotective impacts referred to as pleiotropic effects. In this regard, we aimed...
Research Square
Jack Swain, Davis Carter, Leonardo Vando et al.
preprint
Abstract Background Sleep disturbances are a significant public health burden affecting 50 to 70 million adults in the United States and contributing to impaired cognition, accelerated disease progression, and increased mortality risk. 1,2 Available pharmacological treatments carry notable safety and tolerability risks, while access to the leading evidence-based behavioral intervention,...
Research Square
Norihiro Okada, Kenshiro Oshima, Akiko Maruko et al.
preprint
Abstract In response to a state of stress, the body attempts to maintain protein homeostasis through intron retention (IR). In other words, by examining which genes undergo IR under stress (i.e., IR genes), it is possible to analyze what type of stress the body is experiencing (Okada et al. 2024 Front.Psychiatry). Using this principle, we re-analyzed the RNA-seq data of non-responders and...
Research Square
Alice Le Berre
preprint
Abstract Background: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) involves impaired hippocampal plasticity. Preclinical work showed synaptic potentiation and dendritic spine growth in the dentate gyrus (DG) after esketamine (ESK), but human evidence is lacking. We aimed to detect early DG changes after ESK using advanced diffusion MRI, and to test whether baseline MRI metrics predict clinical response....
Research Square
Amit Kumar
preprint
Abstract Possession trance involves single or episodic alterations in the state of consciousness, characterized by the exchange of the person’s customary identity with a new identity usually attributed to a spirit, divine power, deity, or another person. In this possessed state, the individual exhibits stereotypical and culturally determined behaviors or experiences being controlled by the...
Research Square
Minna Chang
preprint
Abstract Ketamine has been shown to be a novel and exciting antidepressant medication in patients with treatment-resistant depression. A complication commonly seen in frequent and heavy recreational use of ketamine is ulcerative cystitis, which presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and upper renal tract damage, seen in over 25% of regular users (3, 4). Although KIC is a recognised...
Research Square
Adam Włodarczyk, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała, Maria Węgielnik-gałuszko et al.
preprint
Abstract Background and objectives: There is evidence for ketamine use in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Several safety and tolerability concerns arise regarding adverse drug reactions and specific subpopulations. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between dissociative and psychometric measures in course of intravenous ketamine treatment in TRD inpatients with Major...