Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
September 1, 2025
Lena Darakjian, Harley Glassman, Chi Yhun Lo et al.
Listening to music is the most common activity among recreational cannabis users while high, reported by 45% of participants. Users report greater hearing sensitivity and a deeper state of absorption in music when under the influence of cannabis compared to being sober. Individuals with a higher natural tendency to become absorbed in music experience even greater absorption while high. Qualitative analysis reveals four main themes: altered cognitive processes and reinterpretations, auditory perceptual effects ranging from new sensations to sensory overload, emotional openness and regulation, and embodied immersion with out-of-body dissociation. The findings offer a theoretical framework for understanding how cannabis interacts with musical experience.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2021
Steve Paulson, Marcelo Gleiser, Tania Lombrozo et al.
Awe and wonder play complex roles in contemporary science, according to physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis. The authors analyze how these emotions inform scientists' understanding of phenomena they research, which aspects of science elicit wonder, and whether science redirects innate curiosity toward concrete realities or exacerbates the tension between truth and meaning by revealing the scope of ignorance about ultimate reality. They examine Einstein's claim that the universe's comprehensibility is itself incomprehensible, suggesting scientific explanation alone cannot fully address the human mind's place in the cosmos.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
December 1, 2019
Steve Paulson, Donald D Hoffman, Suzanne O'Sullivan
A moderated discussion between cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan challenges the common cognitive science assumption that perception constructs an accurate representation of reality. Hoffman argues that evolution may have shaped perception to guide adaptive behavior rather than to reveal objective truth, suggesting humans may not see reality as it actually is. O'Sullivan brings a neurological perspective, likely drawing on her work with dissociative seizures and synesthesia. The conversation explores implications for understanding consciousness, the mind-body problem, and the hard problem of consciousness, touching on interface theory and quantum physics as frameworks for rethinking the nature of perceptual experience.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
July 16, 2019
Dana van Son, M. de Rover, F. D. de Blasio et al.
Frontal resting-state EEG theta/beta ratio (TBR) is negatively related to cognitive control, and mind wandering (MW) is associated with increased theta and reduced beta power. This study tested whether MW-related fluctuations in TBR covary with connectivity changes in the executive control network (ECN) and default mode network (DMN). In 26 participants performing a 40-minute breath-counting task, frontal TBR was higher during MW than controlled thought, and this was marginally related to resting-state TBR. DMN connectivity was higher and ECN connectivity lower during MW. Greater ECN connectivity during focus compared to MW correlated with lower TBR during focus compared to MW. These results provide the first neural correlates of TBR and its functional dynamics.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2018
Steve Paulson, Jay Lombard, Massimo Pigliucci et al.
In a conversation moderated by Steve Paulson, neurologist Jay Lombard, philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and Michael Ruse, and author Emily Esfahani Smith explore whether meaning in life is individually constructed or universally accessible, and how meaning relates to health, well-being, and suffering. They discuss existential questions about origins, purpose, and direction, without reaching a single conclusion. The dialogue suggests that meaning can arise from both personal narratives and shared sources, and that confronting adversity may deepen one's sense of purpose.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2017
Rubin Naiman
Chronic REM/dream loss, driven by medications, substance use, sleep disorders, and lifestyle factors, is a widespread but unrecognized public health hazard that contributes to illness, depression, and diminished consciousness. The paper compiles evidence on the causes and extent of this loss and offers recommendations for restoring healthy REM/dreaming.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2017
Steve Paulson, Siri Hustvedt, Mark Solms et al.
Three experts—a writer, a historian of psychology, and a neuropsychologist—discuss how unconscious impulses, desires, and feelings might be willfully brought into conscious awareness, whether this unveiling leads to genuine self-knowledge or empowerment, and whether the unconscious can be methodically tapped for creative inspiration. They explore how an expanded understanding of consciousness might help people flourish, think beyond preconceived categories, and frame spiritual experiences or offer spiritual nourishment. The conversation covers noetic experiences, intuition, peak experiences, and Jung's collective unconscious.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2017
Steve Paulson, Deirdre Barrett, Kelly Bulkeley et al.
Dreams may be more than random neural noise; they can offer insights into daily life and deeper self-understanding. A panel of experts—psychologist Deirdre Barrett, dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley, and sleep/dream medicine specialist Rubin Naiman—discussed the origins, functions, and meanings of dreams. They considered whether universal symbols exist across cultures, why some dreams are memorable while others are not, and how wisdom traditions have long treated dreams as sources of revelation. The conversation challenged purely neuroscientific views that dismiss dreams as purposeless, instead exploring their psychological and spiritual significance.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2017
Kelly Bulkeley
Scientific dream research has promising frontiers in three areas: neuroscientific studies of brain-mind activity during sleep, especially lucid dreaming; systematic analysis of large dream report collections from diverse populations; and psychotherapeutic exploration of personal and collective meaning in individual dream experiences. Several books on sleep and dreaming science are recommended for further study.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
June 1, 2016
Joseph J. Loizzo
A neglected traditional model of the central nervous system, the subtle body or chakra system from Indian yoga, may offer a more rigorous typology and mechanistic framework for contemplative practices than current approaches. This comparative review, grounded in the Nalanda tradition, shows that the subtle body model can be cross-referenced with modern CNS maps and challenges them with its embodied network model. It also provides a more refined classification of practices, a more complete network model of their mechanisms, and a user-friendly interoceptive neurofeedback aid for clinical and practical applications.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
June 1, 2016
Frederick Travis
The paper proposes that age-appropriate experiences drive brain and cognitive development across the lifespan, extending beyond Piaget's formal operational stage. A nurturing caregiver is identified as the driver in the first two years, language learning from ages 3 to 10, and problem solving in the teenage years. To develop beyond adult rational thinking, the authors suggest that transcending thought serves as the driver, which can result from practicing meditations in the automatic self-transcending category, such as Transcendental Meditation. This hypothesis draws from three bodies of research to support the idea that specific experiences foster development at each age.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 21, 2016
David S. Black, George M. Slavich
A comprehensive review of randomized controlled trials examined whether mindfulness meditation affects biological markers of the immune system. The analysis focused on inflammatory proteins, gene expression, immune cell counts, immune cell aging, and antibody response. The findings suggest possible effects on specific markers of inflammation, cell-mediated immunity, and biological aging, but these results are tentative and require further replication. Substantial heterogeneity across studies in patient populations, designs, and assay procedures limits firm conclusions. Mindfulness meditation may be beneficial for immune system dynamics, but additional research is needed to confirm these effects.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2014
Kevin R. Nelson
Near-death experiences—sensations of light, out-of-body episodes, and encounters with deceased loved ones or spiritual beings—arise from brain activity rather than a single physiological or biochemical system. During impaired cerebral blood flow from syncope or cardiac arrest, the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness blurs, and a person may enter a borderland of heightened awareness. Consciousness can fluctuate as blood flow crosses critical thresholds. Brain ischemia disrupts the balance between conscious states, leading the brainstem to blend REM and waking into an unfamiliar reality. Most people who have near-death experiences have brains predisposed to fusing REM and waking consciousness, and they are as likely to have out-of-body experiences during that blended state as during near-death itself.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Judson A. Brewer, Kathleen A Garrison
Mindfulness training targets brain regions like the posterior cingulate cortex, a hub of the default mode network, according to a review of psychological and neuroimaging research. Ancient and modern models of stress, such as operant conditioning, converge on plausible biological mechanisms for mindfulness. Recent studies using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback in neurophenomenological investigations reveal how meditation alters activity in task-positive and default mode networks, reducing mind wandering. The paper highlights emerging findings that link mindfulness practice to changes in brain function, though it does not report new experimental results.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Joshua A Grant
A review of experimental pain studies on meditation over the past six years finds that focused attention (FA) practices are generally not effective for reducing pain, while open monitoring (OM) techniques can influence both sensory and affective pain ratings, depending on the tradition and whether practitioners are meditating. The neural pattern during OM suggests meditators actively focus on noxious stimulation while inhibiting other mental processes, consistent with mindfulness. A preliminary model for mindfulness-based pain modulation is presented, and the potential analgesic effect of compassion meditation is discussed.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Frederick Travis
Transcendental experiences during meditation are characterized by the absence of time, space, and body sense. Physiologically, they are marked by slow inhalation, autonomic orientation at the onset of breath changes, and heightened α1 (8–10 Hz) frontal coherence. When these experiences integrate with waking, dreaming, and sleeping, the resulting state—called Cosmic Consciousness in the Vedic tradition—shows inner self-awareness coexisting with all three states. Physiologically, Cosmic Consciousness features α1 EEG coexisting with delta EEG during deep sleep, along with higher brain integration, greater emotional stability, and decreased anxiety during challenging tasks. Transcendental experiences may foster higher human development.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Willoughby B. Britton, Jared R. Lindahl, B Rael Cahn et al.
Buddhist meditation is traditionally described as a state of relaxed alertness that avoids both excessive hyperarousal (restlessness) and excessive hypoarousal (drowsiness, sleep). While modern research has emphasized meditation's relaxing and hypoarousing effects, this review draws from Buddhist texts and scientific studies—including subjective, behavioral, and neuroimaging data during wakefulness, meditation, and sleep—to show that meditation also has arousing or wake-promoting effects. Factors such as dose, expertise, and contemplative trajectory influence whether meditation increases or decreases arousal. The course of meditative progress suggests a nonlinear multiphasic trajectory: early effortful phases may produce more fatigue and sleep propensity, while later stages yield greater wakefulness due to neuroplastic changes and more efficient processing.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Joseph J. Loizzo
Meditation research has grown rapidly, converging with cognitive and affective neuroscience and generating many clinical applications. Recent work clarifies mechanisms and effects of diverse practices, and the field is approaching consensus and coherent paradigms. This article proposes complementing conventional research with rigorous dialogue with contemplative traditions that train expert meditators. It explores the Nalanda tradition from India, preserved in Tibet, whose cumulative approach offers a comprehensive framework for interpreting data and guiding research. The article introduces the Indic map of the central nervous system and presents three testable predictions based on it. Two reviewed studies suggest that the multimodal Nalanda approach to contemplative learning is as well received as familiar approaches and may be more effective.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2009
Joseph J. Loizzo
Aging brains can benefit from self-regulation practices like meditation and psychotherapy, which shift the mind from a conservative, self-preserving mode to a generative, learning-oriented mode. This shift reduces the wear-and-tear of stress (allostatic load) and enhances plasticity and positive adaptation (allostatic lift). The review maps brain function along a continuum from atrophic dysfunction to peak performance, linking stress to cognitive, affective, and behavioral 'allostatic drag' and enrichment to 'allostatic lift'. It proposes a universal typology aligning modern brain models with Indo-Tibetan meditative traditions to accelerate research on stress-protection and optimal health.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2009
Glen L Xiong, P Murali Doraiswamy
Meditation may help preserve cognition and prevent dementia through several pathways: reducing stress-induced cortisol, increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor, improving lipid profiles, lowering oxidative stress, and strengthening neuronal circuits. Cross-sectional studies show meditation practitioners have slower age-related thinning of specific cortical regions. However, existing evidence is inconsistent and preliminary, meditation encompasses diverse practices, and key challenges remain including identifying common elements across modalities, replicating findings in larger randomized trials, determining appropriate dosing, and controlling for genetic, dietary, and lifestyle confounds.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2006
Toshitaka Nabeshima, Akihiro Mouri, Rina Murai et al.
Repeated administration of phencyclidine (PCP) to mice produces behavioral deficits resembling the negative symptoms and cognitive impairments of schizophrenia, including increased immobility in a forced swimming test and impaired latent learning. These deficits persist after PCP withdrawal and are alleviated by atypical but not typical antipsychotics. PCP treatment reduces spontaneous glutamate levels and impairs NMDA receptor function in the prefrontal cortex, disrupting both pre- and postsynaptic glutamate transmission. Facilitation of NMDA receptor function with glycine-site agonists like D-cycloserine or glycine reverses the abnormal intracellular signaling and behavioral deficits. The findings suggest that disrupted NMDA receptor signaling underlies the emotional and cognitive deficits in this mouse model, which may be useful for studying antipsychotic effects.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2003
Chad J Swanson, Darryle D Schoepp
Activating mGlu2/3 receptors with the drug LY379268 reduces the behavioral effects of phencyclidine (PCP) in rats, and this effect is linked to changes in norepinephrine release. In rats undergoing brain microdialysis, LY379268 blocked PCP-induced hyperactivity for about three hours and transiently reduced PCP-induced dopamine release. PCP-induced norepinephrine release was reduced in a way that matched the timing of the behavioral reduction. Separately, the norepinephrine-related drugs clonidine (which reduces norepinephrine activity) blocked PCP behaviors, while reboxetine (which increases norepinephrine) worsened them. LY379268 reversed PCP effects even when reboxetine was present. These results suggest that mGlu2/3 receptor activation can normalize stress-related pathways affected by PCP.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2003
Nuri B Farber
NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists like PCP, ketamine, and CGS-19755 cause cognitive and behavioral changes in humans and histopathological and neurochemical changes in rodents. These effects appear to be dose-dependent manifestations of a disinhibition process where NMDA antagonists reduce GABAergic inhibition, leading to excessive release of acetylcholine and glutamate. Low doses can produce memory dysfunction without psychosis, while more severe NMDA receptor hypofunction (NRHypo) can mimic psychotic schizophrenic exacerbation. Sustained severe NRHypo in adult brains is associated with neurotoxicity. This paper reviews these effects, their likely mechanism, and the possible role of NRHypo in idiopathic psychotic disorders.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
April 1, 2001
S Hameroff
Consciousness may arise from quantum processes in the brain's microtubules, where quantum superpositions in tubulin proteins self-collapse at a threshold linked to quantum gravity, producing discrete conscious events. This 'orchestrated objective reduction' (Orch OR) model, proposed by Roger Penrose and colleagues, suggests each collapse is a non-computable selection of spacetime geometry, coupling consciousness to fundamental physics. The theory aims to explain enigmatic features of consciousness that conventional neuron-based approaches fail to address, such as qualia. It posits that sequences of these events create a stream of consciousness, with microtubule-associated proteins tuning the quantum oscillations to orchestrate the process.