BMC Neuroscience
November 2, 2004
Giulio Tononi
1,703 citations
Consciousness corresponds to a system's capacity to integrate information, measurable as Phi—the amount of causally effective information integrated across a complex of elements. This theory explains why consciousness arises from the thalamocortical system but not the cerebellum, why it diminishes during dreamless sleep and generalized seizures, and why neural processes underlying consciousness can influence or be influenced by unconscious ones. It also accounts for the unity and differentiation of conscious experiences. The theory implies that consciousness is a graded, fundamental quantity present in infants and animals, and that conscious artifacts could be built.
BMC Neuroscience
March 5, 2015
Ludmyla Kandratavicius, Priscila Alves Balista, Daniele C. Wolf et al.
40 citations
Nitric oxide donors, especially sodium nitroprusside (SNP), show promise for treating schizophrenia. In a rat model using ketamine to induce schizophrenia-like behaviors, SNP given either before or after ketamine consistently reduced hyperlocomotion. Glyceryl trinitrate and SNP given after ketamine improved long-term memory, while methylene blue given before ketamine also improved long-term memory. The effects depended on whether the drug was administered before or after ketamine, suggesting the timing of treatment matters. These findings indicate that nitric oxide modulation could be a new pharmacological approach for schizophrenia.
BMC Neuroscience
April 17, 2008
Anna M.s. Kindlundh-Högberg, Anna Blomqvist, Rana Malki et al.
40 citations
Repeated intermittent administration of MDMA alters gene-transcript expression of glutamatergic NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits, metabotropic receptors, and transporters in brain regions that regulate reward-related associative learning, cognition, memory, and neuro-endocrine functions.
BMC Neuroscience
February 5, 2024
Robin J Murphy, Kate Godfrey, Alexander D Shaw et al.
16 citations
Microdosing psychedelics is claimed to improve cognition, but clinical evidence is limited. In a placebo-controlled trial, 80 healthy adult males took 10 µg of LSD or placebo every third day for six weeks. A visual long-term potentiation (LTP) EEG paradigm measured neural plasticity indirectly. Standard event-related potential (ERP) analyses of N1b and P2 components showed no evidence of changes in LTP from LSD, either acutely or after six weeks. However, dynamic causal modeling of the ERP timecourse using a thalamocortical model revealed changes in laminar connectivity in primary visual cortex, including acute changes to self-gain and inhibitory input parameters and differences in excitatory connectivity from layer 2/3 to layer 5 between...
BMC Neuroscience
November 6, 2024
W Tecumseh Fitch, Rebecca Barnstaple
9 citations
Dance in a broad sense can be defined as "mindful movement"—a form of expressive movement characterized by a specific type of conscious awareness. This proposal reframes dance beyond rhythmic movement to music, including improvisation, pantomime, tai chi, and butoh. The authors ground this definition in predictive coding and procedural learning theory: mindful movement involves a suspension of automatization. When learning a motor skill, conscious awareness is high, but overlearning suppresses it. In mindful movement, this process is inverted, reactivating unconscious movement details in conscious awareness and enabling renewed aesthetic attention. This perspective suggests potential animal analogs of dance and opens experimental avenues.
BMC Neuroscience
October 8, 2024
Seong-Jin Yu, Kuo-Jen Wu, Yu-Syuan Wang et al.
8 citations
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, reduced brain damage and improved movement in rats after a stroke. In lab dishes, it protected rat neurons from damage caused by glutamate, a chemical that can kill brain cells during stroke. This protection was blocked by a drug that inhibits BDNF, a protein that supports neuron health. In rats, giving psilocybin before or soon after a stroke reduced the size of brain infarction and improved locomotor behavior. It also increased markers of healthy neurons and decreased markers of inflammation in the brain. The findings suggest psilocybin's protective effects involve BDNF, supporting its potential as a novel stroke treatment.
BMC Neuroscience
May 26, 2025
Guanlin Huang, Dong Wang, Qiang Chen et al.
1 citation
Short-term spinal cord stimulation (stSCS) significantly improves the likelihood of tracheal decannulation in brain injury patients with disorders of consciousness. In a retrospective study of 81 tracheotomized patients, those receiving stSCS had a decannulation rate of 50.0%, compared to 25.7% in the standard care group. The difference was statistically meaningful, indicating stSCS may be a useful neuromodulation strategy to help these patients breathe without a tracheostomy tube.
BMC Neuroscience
May 13, 2026
Alejo Acuña, Federico Billeri, Valentino Totaro et al.
A single dose of ibogaine (40 mg/kg) reinstates juvenile-like experience-dependent plasticity in the adult mouse visual cortex. Adult mice given ibogaine and then four days of monocular deprivation showed reduced visual acuity in the deprived eye and decreased dendritic spine density in the binocular visual cortex, effects not seen in vehicle-treated mice. Ibogaine alone did not alter these measures. The plasticity-enhancing effect was accompanied by reductions in perineuronal nets, parvalbumin-positive interneuron staining, and vesicular GABA transporter-labeled inhibitory puncta. These findings suggest ibogaine can reopen windows of heightened cortical adaptability by reducing structural and inhibitory brakes on plasticity.
BMC Neuroscience
March 24, 2026
Michael Fiorillo, Javier González-Maeso
Pretreating male mice with the psychedelic compound DOI, which activates serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, reduced brain inflammation and sickness behaviors caused by a later immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). DOI lowered hippocampal levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, restored normal movement, decreased immobility in a forced swim test, and sped up body-weight recovery. These protective effects were partly preserved in mice lacking the 5-HT2A receptor, suggesting both receptor-dependent and receptor-independent mechanisms. Mice missing the receptor showed exaggerated inflammatory responses to LPS. Higher IL-6 levels in the hippocampus correlated with more depressive-like behavior, while higher IL-13 and IL-2 levels correlated with less immobility.
BMC Neuroscience
November 13, 2023
Oscar Perez-Diaz, Alfonso Barrós‐loscertales, Uffe Schjoedt et al.
Praying during Sahaja Yoga Meditation deactivates the bilateral thalamus and reduces activity in frontal brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, compared to secular speech tasks. These neural patterns suggest that prayer in this tradition involves inner concentration and diminished social judgment or mentalizing, distinguishing it from Christian praying practices that engage social cognition. The study scanned sixteen experienced Sahaja Yoga Meditation practitioners using functional MRI while they performed formalized and improvised prayers and matched secular tasks.