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April 11, 2026
Ngo Cheung
A computational toy model suggests that increasing the coupling strength between microtubule components, used as a proxy for synaptic and gap-junction density, can support stronger entangled states even under brain-like noise conditions. When coupling strength was increased from 0.5 to 4.0 in a simulated chain of tubulin dimers, nearest-neighbor entanglement (concurrence) rose from 0.2110 to 0.4618, while overall system purity remained stable at about 0.3918. The model tested the idea that a proposed oral combination of dextromethorphan, a CYP2D6 inhibitor, piracetam, and L-glutamine might promote synaptogenesis and electrical coupling, potentially altering collective quantum behavior. Whether this bears on biological coherence or consciousness remains highly speculative, and any links would require independent empirical study.
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March 22, 2026
Futao Zhao
This theory proposes that consciousness is the macroscopic emergence of inherent memory properties of matter in specific complex structures, with carbon as the optimal physical carrier in the universe. It establishes a continuous emergence chain from micro-particles to macroscopic consciousness, providing a self-consistent paradigm for understanding life's origin, consciousness, and cosmic evolution. Based on two core axioms—the Material Memory Axiom and the Matter-Consciousness Entanglement Axiom—the Yin Equation A2.0 calculates carbon as having the highest elemental consciousness intensity (0.941) among 118 elements, revealing its central role as consciousness's 'hardware architect.
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March 17, 2026
Haroon Asghar
Psychedelic medicines are distinct from intoxicants (khamr) because they do not impair moral judgment or rational faculties. Although unsupervised use remains impermissible due to psychological risks, therapeutic application may be justified under Islamic law through rukhsa (legal concession). Because psychedelics can mimic neural and phenomenological states produced in prayer or meditation, their clinical use may be permitted when such spiritual practices would otherwise serve as treatment, provided a threshold of disease severity or functional impairment is met.
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March 16, 2026
Fangshi Cao 曹方石
A person with extraordinarily high dream recall consistently experiences long, coherent, plot-driven dreams with distinct characters, emotional tone, narrative twists, and a stable spatial world map with recurring locations revisited across multiple sleep episodes. These vivid dreams are fully retrievable upon awakening and directly transformed into published literary works. The individual exhibits a unique sleep architecture with difficulty initiating sleep, an extremely high arousal threshold after sleep onset, significant sleep inertia, and about 10 hours of total sleep, with over 4 hours occupied by continuous high-narrative dreams during deep sleep. This phenotype challenges the view that high dream recall depends on brief awakenings, demonstrating that exceptional narrative dreaming and memory retrieval can occur within prolonged deep sleep. Dreaming here appears as a stable, repeatable neural creative mechanism.
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March 11, 2026
Jenna Houff, Andrew Williams, Obie Allen et al.
A single dose of psilocybin reduced preference for larger rewards and increased the time taken to choose them in rats, effects that were not tied to delay length and thus not indicative of altered impulsivity. Forty-eight hours after administration, psilocybin also increased the density of activated parvalbumin inhibitory interneurons surrounded by perineuronal nets in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest psilocybin decreases appetitive motivation by activating these specific inhibitory neurons.
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January 28, 2026
Mark Lemon
Conscious experience can be understood as a process mediated by an aperture—a bandwidth of awareness—that operates over an invariant geometric structure. The model proposes a twelve-fold toroidal thoughtform that can be partitioned into focal lenses, each describable as an archetypal attractor, phase sector, symmetry class, or developmental band. A central control parameter, aperture, regulates the balance between differentiation and integration, producing distinct experiential octaves. Consciousness units aggregate into metastable configurations depending on aperture width, forming gestalts whose scale matches the active bandwidth. Subjective experience occurs within these constraints rather than being generated by content alone. The framework is interdisciplinary and designed for future formalization and empirical operationalization.
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January 28, 2026
Yunlong Zhang
Present-Aspect Monism is a philosophical system built on two axioms: consciousness and the world exist only in the present. It proposes that pure consciousness is the sole, non-dual absolute reality, which continuously generates a consistent experiential universe through a cycle of manifestation, observation, and remanifestation. The framework integrates non-dualism, consciousness studies, and cosmology, aiming to offer a parsimonious, empirically verifiable account of reality that bridges philosophy and science. It unifies interpretations of quantum mechanics, relativity, and cosmology, and deduces the existence of free will and a holistic life philosophy.
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January 1, 2026
Jesse Dallery, Jennifer L. Miller, Jeff Boissoneault et al.
No Summary
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January 1, 2026
Jesse Dallery, Jennifer L. Miller, Jeff Boissoneault et al.
A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin, combined with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was tested in five adults with binge-eating disorder. The treatment was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. All participants reported reduced binge eating frequency that lasted through 14 weeks. Improvements also occurred in depression, anxiety, and psychological inflexibility. Three participants lost weight and reduced waist circumference. Brain scans showed increased activity in regions linked to cognitive control and self-awareness when viewing processed versus unprocessed food cues. Because the study was small and open-label, causality cannot be determined, but the results support larger controlled trials.
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January 1, 2026
Kristian Larsen
LSD and psilocybin produce distinct changes in cerebral blood flow and global functional connectivity across the human brain. Peak drug effects were observed in both measures, and within-subject associations between blood flow and connectivity were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. The findings characterize how these hallucinogens alter brain activity at the population level in healthy participants.
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January 1, 2026
Kristian Larsen
Psilocybin reduces whole-brain cerebral blood flow and constricts the internal carotid artery in a dose-dependent manner. In 28 healthy participants given 0.2–0.3 mg/kg psilocybin, arterial spin labelling MRI showed widespread cortical blood flow decreases at peak plasma psilocin levels. Higher plasma psilocin concentrations correlated with lower cerebral blood flow and smaller carotid artery diameter, indicating that the drug's vascular effects are tied to its active metabolite.
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January 1, 2026
Kristian Larsen
LSD occupies the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) and alters global functional connectivity in healthy human participants. The figure shows occupancy and connectivity effects for both LSD and psilocybin. Acquisition, preprocessing, and statistical modeling procedures were pre-registered and detailed in a study protocol.
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January 1, 2026
Daniel Pustay, Vishal Patel, Krista Ulisse et al.
A systematic review of 42 studies examined factors that might predict which adults with treatment-resistant depression respond to electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or ketamine-based treatments. Predictive factors were grouped into clinical (symptom profile, illness duration), biological (inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and CRP, and BDNF), and imaging (cingulate cortex activity and connectivity). Some inflammation markers and fronto-limbic network findings appeared across treatments, but results were inconsistent. The review found weak evidence for a few predictors, but no consistent or clinically useful factors emerged for any modality or for comparing effectiveness between treatments. Larger, comparative studies are needed.
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January 1, 2026
Jesse Dallery, Jennifer L. Miller, Jeff Boissoneault et al.
No Summary
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November 26, 2025
A nonhallucinogenic dual 5-HT2A/5-HT2C agonist could offer novel treatment potential for CNS disorders. Screening of in-house compounds revealed centhaquin, an FDA-approved hypovolemic shock drug, as a selective 5-HT2C agonist (EC50: 35 nM). Synthesis of 22 aza-aryl analogs identified two dual agonists, 3ci and 3dh. Compound 3ci was rapidly absorbed in plasma and brain (Tmax = 0.08 h; Cmax = 936.4 ng/mL plasma, 2446.8 ng/g brain). Both compounds triggered a head-twitch response but were less potent than the hallucinogenic control, suggesting reduced hallucinogenic liability. These results highlight 3ci as a promising lead for developing 5-HT2A/2C dual agonists.
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November 10, 2025
Marina D. Luccioni (22593281), Jules T. Wyman (22593284), Edgard O. Espinoza (14827902) et al.
The Sonoran Desert toad (Incilius alvarius) is the only animal known to secrete the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT as a chemical defense, but its source was unknown. Analyzing toxin gland secretions and diet profiles from wild I. alvarius and sympatric anurans in Tucson, Arizona, all I. alvarius secreted high concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT, while other sympatric toads did not. The diet of I. alvarius was similar to that of other anurans, indicating no dietary specialization; slight differences appeared between toads in native versus urban habitats. These findings suggest diet is not directly linked to 5-MeO-DMT production, supporting hypotheses that the toad synthesizes it endogenously or via a microbial symbiont.
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October 29, 2025
A systematic review and meta-analysis compared the safety of ketamine and esketamine for major depressive disorder. Both drugs caused more adverse events than placebo, with number needed to harm values of 2 for any adverse event and 12 for dropouts due to adverse events. Esketamine showed a similar pattern but with higher number needed to harm values, suggesting a tolerability advantage. Common side effects included dizziness, dissociation, nausea, vertigo, and blurred vision, which were dose-dependent. Serious adverse events were not significantly increased for either drug. Transient psychiatric effects, blood pressure increases, and sedation occurred after dosing. No significant abnormalities were found in cognition, lab results, bladder symptoms, nasal exams, or addiction measures.
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October 13, 2025
Francisco González Espejito (22421436), Laura Esteban Rodríguez (16363059), Eduardo J. Pedrero Pérez (22421439) et al.
No Summary
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October 13, 2025
No Summary
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October 13, 2025
Francisco González Espejito (22421436), Laura Esteban Rodríguez (16363059), Eduardo J. Pedrero Pérez (22421439) et al.
Ibogaine, a compound from the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga used in traditional Bwiti rituals, shows promise for treating opioid dependence and neurological conditions, but existing tools do not capture its distinctive dream-like effects. To address this, the Ibogaine Experience Scale (IES) was developed from a prior qualitative study and refined using data from 499 participants across two clinical settings. The final scale has seven factors—including narrative visions, visual changes, discomfort, cosmic visions, introspection, somatosensory sensitivity, and dissociation—explaining 53.9% of variance with excellent fit and high internal consistency. The IES provides a reliable instrument for quantifying ibogaine's subjective effects, supporting research and clinical assessment.
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October 13, 2025
Ibogaine, a compound from the Tabernanthe iboga plant, produces distinctive dream-like subjective effects that existing questionnaires cannot capture. To address this, the Ibogaine Experience Scale (IES) was developed and tested with 499 participants in two clinical settings. The final 70-item scale identifies seven factors, including narrative visions, visual changes, discomfort, cosmic archetypes, introspection, somatosensory sensitivity, and dissociation, explaining 53.9% of the variance. The scale shows excellent statistical fit and high internal consistency. It provides a reliable tool for quantifying ibogaine's unique subjective effects in research and clinical assessment, though further validation in diverse groups is needed.
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October 13, 2025
Francisco González Espejito (22421436), Laura Esteban Rodríguez (16363059), Eduardo J. Pedrero Pérez (22421439) et al.
Ibogaine, a compound from the iboga plant used in traditional Bwiti rituals and studied for treating opioid dependence, produces distinctive dream-like subjective effects that existing questionnaires do not capture. To measure these effects, a 70-item Ibogaine Experience Scale (IES) was developed based on a prior qualitative study. After testing an initial 144-item version on 499 participants in two clinical settings, the final scale has seven factors—including narrative visions, visual changes, discomfort, cosmic visions, introspection, somatosensory sensitivity, and dissociation—explaining 53.9% of the variance. The scale shows excellent statistical fit and high internal consistency, offering a reliable tool for research and clinical assessment of ibogaine's unique effects.
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August 20, 2025
Danielle S. Stolzenberg
Psilocybin given to rat mothers shortly after giving birth caused lasting harm to both the mothers and their offspring. The data files include analyses for each figure in the paper, the postpartum stress protocol, and raw maternal behavior data. Additional raw data are in the manuscript source data file.
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January 1, 2025
J. Kruger, Daniel, Mersereau, Gina, Sullivan, Ashley et al.
Most experienced psychedelic users recommend psilocybin for first-time experiences, favoring its moderate intensity, dose-dependent effects, precise dosing, and short duration. About half recommended cannabis, and a third recommended MDMA/MDA. Substances like ayahuasca, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and Salvia divinorum were not recommended due to intensity, health risks, and safety concerns. Participants advised against mixing psychedelics with alcohol, stimulants, antidepressants, and narcotics/opiates. Additional advice included embracing the experience, learning about the substance, and setting intentions. The findings suggest that harm-reduction resources can be developed from community-based crowdsourced recommendations.
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January 1, 2022
Ainsworth, Lily
A sense of transformation from ayahuasca tourism arises not only from drinking the brew but also from expectations shaped through online interactions among industry subgroups, the social and physical environment of the centre, and the challenges of reduced support after returning home. The integration phase is complex, as shown by case studies of informants applying their experiences to daily life. The thesis proposes a new label—tourism for transformation—and highlights theoretical parallels between tourism and pilgrimage, pointing to future research on the final stages of such journeys.