Research Square
March 10, 2026
Giammarco di Gregorio, Sophia Basset, Harjot Manmohan et al.
Abstract Depression and anxiety affect one in five adults, with age affecting prevalence. While clinical trials suggest classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD) and non-classic psychedelics (e.g., MDMA, ketamine) may alleviate these symptoms, it remains unclear how these relationships function in naturalistic settings or how they vary across the lifespan. We conducted a cross-sectional...
Research Square
March 8, 2026
Sachin Shah, Hamilton Morrin
Abstract Background: This case describes a substance-induced manic episode with psychotic features in which interaction with an AI (artificial intelligence) chatbot appeared to corroborate and reinforce the patient’s delusional thought content and to contradict medical advice. Excerpts from the patient’s interactions with the AI chatbot provide novel clinical insight into this phenomenon, which...
Research Square
February 27, 2026
Randi Brown, Kenneth Shinozuka, Irakli Kaloiani et al.
Abstract The acute effects of psychedelic medicines include shifts in perception and awareness that can often include mystical or spiritual elements. Research suggests that these experiences can also extend into more persisting changes in spirituality, yet this area is underexplored. This study examined the effects of psychedelic experiences on spiritual beliefs using a survey of N = 151 people...
Research Square
February 26, 2026
Traditional Buddhist Mindfulness versus Secular Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Residual Depressive Symptoms in Patients Treated for Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Square
February 25, 2026
Sean M. Viña
Abstract While prior research links psychedelic use to improved psychological outcomes, less is known about whether psychedelic exposure relates to engagement with formal mental health care when treatment is recognized as needed. Using pooled data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019), this study examines whether lifetime psychedelic use is associated with missed needed...
Research Square
February 23, 2026
Rotem Petranker, Norman A. S. Farb, Omer A. Syed et al.
Abstract IMPORTANCE Microdosing psilocybin may be a novel treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). OBJECTIVE Assessing the antidepressant effects and safety of repeated low doses of psilocybin in participants diagnosed with MDD. DESIGN This was a Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING The trial was conducted from July 2022 to December 2024 at two...
Research Square
February 23, 2026
Sandy R Shultz, Josh Allen, Grace O'Regan et al.
Abstract Repeated mild traumatic brain injury (RmTBI) can produce lasting cognitive, emotional, and social deficits (e.g., persistent post-concussion symptoms; PPCS). Despite the prevalence of RmTBI in sports, military, and domestic violence settings, effective treatments to alleviate the neurological consequences of RmTBI remain limited. Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, can enhance...
Research Square
February 17, 2026
Zofia Winczewska, Magdalena Górska-ponikowska, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała
Abstract Aim of study: The antidepressant effect of ketamine may be at least partly due to its antioxidant activity. The aim of the study was to assess whether ketamine develops a protective effect on HT22 neuronal cells under conditions of oxidative stress (OS) induced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Material and methods The experiment was performed on an immortalized mouse hippocampal HT22...
Research Square
February 12, 2026
Jenessa N Johnston, Greg Jones, Shiyong Peng et al.
Rapid-acting antidepressants like ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics show promise for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but the molecular mechanisms that contribute to their therapeutic effects remain unclear. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a platform to model human cortical neurons and investigate drug effects in a human-relevant system. Here, iPSCs from individuals with...
Research Square
February 11, 2026
Jack Swain, Davis Carter, Leonardo Vando
Abstract Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition affecting approximately 3-6% of the U.S. adult population annually, and is characterized by intrusive symptoms, avoidance, negative cognitive and mood alterations, and hyperarousal following trauma exposure. Ketamine shows promise as a treatment for PTSD in preliminary trials, though real-world...
Research Square
February 9, 2026
Jonathan S Ryan, Timothy J Mcdermott, Boris Botzanowski et al.
Temporal interference (TI) electrical stimulation is a novel neuromodulation method that can target deep brain structures to enhance the impact of behavioral techniques. We tested the feasibility of TI in targeting the ventral striatum (VS) in concert with an emotion regulation practice (breath-focused mindfulness meditation). As an assay of target engagement, we used electroencephalography...
Research Square
February 3, 2026
Intentional Lucid Dreaming with a Transformative Learning Agenda
Research Square
February 2, 2026
Ziv Ben-Zion, Guy Simon, Teddy Lazebnik
Abstract Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly consulted by individuals for support during psychedelic experiences ("trip sitting"), yet no framework exists to evaluate whether these models can accurately simulate or safely respond to altered states of consciousness. We aimed to determine if LLMs can be induced to generate narratives resembling human psychedelic experiences and to...
Research Square
January 19, 2026
Evaluating the Digital Delivery of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Elderly Mental Health: An Experimental Study
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January 14, 2026
Sean M. Viña
Abstract While prior research suggests that healthcare context shapes the mental health correlates of psychedelic use, it remains unclear whether education can mitigate these disparities—particularly across racial and ethnic groups. This study examines whether educational attainment moderates the association between lifetime psychedelic use, health insurance context (public vs. private), and...
Research Square
January 12, 2026
Lucas M Wittenkeller, Gary A. Gudelsky, T. John Winhusen et al.
Abstract Aims: The investigation of psychedelics as potential therapies has expanded dramatically in the past decade, leading to their study in a wide range of conditions. Here, we characterize all ongoing clinical trials utilizing a psychedelic intervention with the goals of identifying trends in experimental design and application and discuss how findings from individual, ongoing clinical...
Research Square
January 12, 2026
Niloufar Pouyan, Chelsea M Kaplan, Tony E. Larkin et al.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) produces perceptual alterations and changes in large-scale brain network organization, yet its effects on task-specific visual processing remain unclear. Given the prominence of visual alterations during psychedelic exposure, we investigated how subanesthetic N2O modulates functional connectivity during visual stimulation. Thirteen healthy adults completed a...
Research Square
January 5, 2026
Noor Tasnim, Alana Hutchinson, Daphne Gyamfi et al.
Flow is a psychological state of deep immersion and engagement associated with enhanced performance and well-being, yet its neural correlates remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether flow is experienced during Memphis Jookin', a street dance style originating in Memphis, Tennessee, and examined its behavioral and neurophysiological signatures. Professional Memphis Jookers (N = 6)...
Research Square
December 22, 2025
Negar Fani, Alexa Kondas, Vishwadeep Ahluwalia et al.
Vibration-based therapies are understudied but promising methods for alleviating psychiatric symptoms, particularly when paired with behavioral practices. The potential neuroplastic changes associated with a novel neurostimulation method, sternal vibration, and associations with clinical change remain unknown. We examined effects of sternal vibration paired with mindfulness meditation on change...
Research Square
December 18, 2025
Alejo Acuña, Federico Billeri, Valentino Totaro et al.
Abstract Background: Psychedelics have emerged as powerful modulators of neural plasticity, yet whether the atypical psychedelic ibogaine can enhance plasticity remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether a single administration of ibogaine can reinstate juvenile-like experience-dependent plasticity in the adult mouse visual cortex, a canonical model for studying neuroplasticity....
Research Square
December 17, 2025
Camarin E. Rolle, Nolan Williams, Afik Faerman et al.
Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in chronic functional disability and is associated with persistent psychiatric symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Ibogaine, an oneirogenic alkaloid with unique pharmacological properties, has shown initial promise as a potential treatment for TBI-related sequelae. We previously observed large...
Research Square
December 12, 2025
Abstract Today, mental health is standing on a threshold of a new frontier—one that lies not just in the physical and neurobiological realms but also in the interflow of language and meaning making. While the current revival of psychedelic research is focused primarily on pilot and experimental studies to examine the potential therapeutic index of psychedelics, one cannot ignore how this...
Research Square
December 1, 2025
Albert Buchard, Federico Seragnoli, Michel Sabé et al.
Abstract Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are highly prevalent in patients seeking psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and correlate strongly with baseline depression and anxiety. This study characterized EMS in 192 adults and longitudinally followed 74 patients receiving psilocybin- or LSD-assisted therapy. We found that baseline schema burden, particularly related to failure and defectiveness,...
Research Square
November 25, 2025
Nai‐kong V. Cheung
1 citation
Abstract Traditional monoaminergic medications often offer limited relief for the physical and cognitive symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD. Growing data now point to fast-acting, glutamate-based treatments that boost synaptic plasticity and interrupt fear-conditioned neural circuits. We report four sequential cases of hard-to-treat trauma-spectrum...
Research Square
November 19, 2025
Awakening to Death: How Long-Term Sufi Meditation Shapes Prosocial Responses to Mortality Salience