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
December 1, 2025
preprint
Recursive Theory-of-Mind Dynamics in Symbolic Functional Consciousness: A Variational Framework and the Principle of Least Shannon–Neumann Action
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
Research Square
November 19, 2025
preprint
Effectiveness of Structured Mindfulness-Based Interventions Versus Usual Care in Reducing Psychological Distress and Improving Quality of Life among Stroke patients
Research Square
November 18, 2025
Abstract Breathwork which increases ventilatory rate or depth represents an accessible nonpharmacological modality for potentially inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs). Despite gaining traction as a therapeutic tool, empirical research remains limited, hence we conducted the first randomised-controlled trial (NCT06916312) on breathwork and ASCs. We examined the effects of a single...
Research Square
November 17, 2025
Sergio Pérez Rosal, Sonya C. Faber
Abstract Natural variation in psilocybin content across mushroom samples presents a significant challenge to consistent dosing in both research and retreat settings. In this observational report, we describe a pragmatic approach for quantifying psilocybin content in naturally sourced material to ensure more standardized dosing across participants. Eleven individuals participated in a 7-day...
Research Square
November 17, 2025
preprint
The Phenomenology of Silent Expertise: From Inner Speech to Embodied Knowing
Research Square
November 13, 2025
Distinct Neurochemical Signature of Mindfulness and Progressive Muscle Relaxation in limbic regions: a randomized controlled MR spectroscopy study
Research Square
November 11, 2025
Xuming Zhu, Xiaoyong Wei, Qianyu Guo et al.
Abstract Background: The incidence of preoperative anxiety in children is significantly higher than in adults. Esketamine, the dextrorotatory enantiomer of ketamine, has been shown to alleviate preoperative anxiety in children effectively. Previous studies have established the effective dose (ED 50 ) of esketamine for reducing anxiety in pediatric patients. However, the 95% effective dose (ED...
Research Square
November 11, 2025
preprint
Calming the Mind, Strengthening the Nurse: A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Nursing Students
Research Square
November 5, 2025
Sarah E. Mennenga, Toni J. Hanson, Moira G. Semple et al.
2 citations
Abstract For many, cognitive and affective health declines through typical aging. Although cognitive and affective symptoms are often studied in isolation, they share substantial overlap, and arise, in part, from common biological processes. Aging is accompanied by diminished neural plasticity, heightened neuroinflammation, and widespread alterations in the epigenome. These molecular changes...
Research Square
November 5, 2025
Joseph T. la Torre, Step Cheung, Ariana Kam et al.
Abstract Drawing on an unprecedentedly larger sample (N = 236) than previous studies, we investigated the subjective effects of ibogaine by asking a series of three original, open-ended questions to participants enrolled in an ibogaine-assisted treatment program at a specialized healthcare facility in México. The objective was to characterize the overall phenomenology of the subjective ibogaine...
Research Square
November 5, 2025
preprint
Assessing the suitability of ‘mass loss analysis’ as a low cost, low technology test to approximate MDMA content in ecstasy tablets, using laboratory and field comparisons
Research Square
October 30, 2025
Long-term efficacy of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction on Depression and Anxiety, Symptoms and Distress, Health Status, Coping Capacity and Immune Response in Breast Cancer Survivors: A longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Square
October 24, 2025
Mindfulness-induced modulation of resting-state networks functional connectivity in depressed adults: A systematic review
Research Square
October 10, 2025
Gitte M. Knudsen, Annette Johansen, Pontus Plavén-sigray et al.
Abstract Psychedelics such as psilocybin have been linked to enhanced neuroplasticity and symptom relief in affective disorders, but the neurobiological mechanisms and impact of environmen-tal context remain unclear. Here, we tested whether a single dose of psilocybin alters synap-tic density in healthy individuals and whether setting-dependent subjective experience shapes this effect. Fifteen...
Research Square
October 7, 2025
Małgorzata Domżalska, Joanna Kwiatkowska, Iwona Cichoń et al.
Abstract Depression is a debilitating mental disorder affecting millions worldwide, yet current pharmacological treatments, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), often exhibit delayed onset and limited efficacy. The chronic social defeat (CSD) stress model in mice is a well-established preclinical paradigm for inducing depression-like behaviors and evaluating antidepressants...
Research Square
October 3, 2025
Patrick A. McConnell, Jackson Raffety, Andrew Li et al.
Cross-species mapping of psychedelic gene expression reveals links to the 5HT2A receptor, cortical layers, and human accelerated regions
Research Square
September 26, 2025
Soria López, Cinto Segalàs, Eva Real et al.
Abstract Background: Intranasal esketamine has gained attention as a rapidly acting intervention for treatment-resistant depression, and there is growing interest in its potential anti-obsessional effects. To our knowledge, no published case series has focused on intranasal esketamine in patients with both treatment-resistant obsessive–compulsive disorder (TR‑OCD) and comorbid major depression...
Research Square
September 25, 2025
David Greguš, Jaroslav Hlinka, Filip Tylš et al.
Abstract Rationale: Individual variability in psilocybin response is a major challenge for psychedelic-assisted therapy, with structural brain features potentially serving as predictive biomarkers. Lewis et al. (2020) reported that rostral anterior cingulate cortex thickness predicted emotional experiences under psilocybin, suggesting cortical morphometry as a marker of psychedelic...