ABSTRACT Background NMDA receptor antagonists, such as ketamine, are widely used to model schizophrenia-related phenotypes in preclinical studies. While zebrafish have emerged as a promising model organism for neuropsychiatric research, few studies have characterized their behavioral responses to repeated ketamine exposure. Methods Three independent experiments were conducted to evaluate the...
Abstract Decades of cross-species research highlight the claustrums extensive bidirectional connectivity with cortical and subcortical regions, implicating it in higher-order cognitive processes requiring synchronized brain states. Psychedelics may disrupt this synchrony by modulating claustro-cortical signaling, reflected by the dissolution of cortical network signatures. Using spectral...
Abstract Our study adopted a novel approach, utilizing four biomarkers, namely EEG potentials, their first-order derivatives, and phase slip rates derived from each, to discern the differences between novice Vipassana (NVP) subjects and non-meditator controls (NMC). Phase slip rates are discontinuities in instantaneous phase that represent cortical phase transitions, indicating a significant...
Perceived sleep depth is a key determinant of subjective sleep quality, traditionally thought to reflect unconsciousness and reduced cortical activation. Here, we combined high-density EEG with a serial awakening paradigm during NREM sleep to examine its neural and experiential correlates. As expected, deeper sleep was associated with reduced cortical activation, reflected in a lower...
Abstract Sleep helps regulate emotions, but it is still unclear whether -and how- the emotions we experience in dreams contribute to this regulation. To uncover the potential function of dream emotions, we must first understand what they are and how they unfold in dreams. The emotional content of dreams has mostly been studied using post-sleep dream reports, which provide a biased and static...
Abstract The extent to which anatomical connectivity constrains pharmacologically altered brain dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we combined psilocybin administration with a structurally informed effective-connectivity model to examine how structural connectivity shapes directed inter-regional influences across experiential contexts. Using dynamic causal modeling embedded in a...
Abstract Psilocybin has profound therapeutic potential for various mental health disorders, but its mechanisms of action are unknown. Functional MRI studies have reported the effects of psilocybin on brain activity and connectivity; however, these measurements rely on neurovascular coupling to infer neural activity changes and assume that blood flow responses to neural activity are not altered...
General anesthetics are routinely used to induce unconsciousness. While much is known about their effects on receptor function and the activity of individual neurons, much less is known about how these local effects are manifest at the level of largescale, distributed brain networks. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) we investigated...
Abstract The psychedelic psilocybin may have lasting therapeutic effects for patients with chronic pain syndromes. Some clinical and preclinical data suggest these putative benefits derive from direct analgesic effects. However, this possibility has not been comprehensively tested in preclinical models. Here, we show that psilocybin is not analgesic over a range of doses across multiple pain...
ABSTRACT The present study applied spectral Granger causality analysis to electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings obtained during Focused Attention Meditation (FAM), Open Monitoring Meditation (OMM), and Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) in highly experienced meditators. The aim of the investigation was to uncover distinct connectivity signatures associated with each meditation style by...
Abstract Emotional processing is a crucial adaptive function. Research suggests that sleep, particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, may have a role in processing the emotional load of past events. Notably, dream experiences may offer insight into this nighttime process. Some studies have reported increased emotionality in dreams as the night progresses, possibly reflecting ongoing...
Abstract Meditation encompasses diverse practices that train attention inward, in contrast to externally oriented task states. However, the neurodynamic features distinguishing meditative states from non-meditative states across traditions remain unclear. We analyzed high-density EEG data (N=170; 121 advanced meditators, 49 controls) across four traditions: Vipassana, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga,...
Abstract Background Opioid abstinence induces persistent emotional disturbances and widespread neuroplastic changes, in areas of the brain including the hippocampus. Although ketamine and its metabolite ( 2R,6R )-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) show potential in reversing opioid abstinence-related deficits in rodents, the molecular mechanisms underlying their efficacy remain poorly understood. Methods...
Abstract Background Cannabis is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world and is increasingly investigated as a treatment for neuropsychiatric conditions. Cannabis contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is thought to underlie its main psychoactive effects, and cannabidiol (CBD), which has been proposed to modulate the effects of THC on the brain. Both have...
Abstract Objective Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show promise in managing chronic pain but often require substantial time commitments, leading to high attrition rates and concerns about acceptability. This meta-analysis evaluated attrition rates in MBIs for chronic pain and explored factors contributing to participant withdrawal. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, 44 studies (45...
Abstract Ketamine has transformed depression treatment by providing therapeutic relief within a single day, unlike monoaminergic antidepressants that require weeks to take effect. Here, we conducted whole-brain screening in mice to compare drug-evoked c-fos expression—acting as a marker of brain activity leading to protein synthesis-dependent forms of plasticity—following treatment with...
Dreams are universal yet deeply personal experiences. While memory and personal concerns influence dream content, the impact of other individual, generalizable traits remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we built a multimodal dataset including dream and wakefulness reports, alongside demographic, psychometric, cognitive, and sleep-related measures in a large adult cohort. Natural...
Abstract Chronic cannabis use is associated with cognitive impairment, but its impact on implicit motor learning is unclear. Implicit learning of movement sequences (i.e., their specific ordinal and temporal structure) is vital for performing complex motor behavior and lays the foundation for performing daily activities and interacting socially. We collected data from 30 individuals who used...
ABSTRACT PsiConnect is a large-scale neuroimaging study designed to investigate the neural and subjective effects of psilocybin using multimodal neuroimaging. It combines functional, structural, and diffusion-weighted MRI with EEG to examine brain activity in 62 participants before and after a 19 mg dose of psilocybin. The design includes resting-state scans and three naturalistic conditions:...
ABSTRACT Studies reporting novel therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs are rapidly emerging. However, the reproducibility and reliability of these findings could remain uncertain for years. Here, we implemented a multi-institutional collaborative approach to define the robust and replicable effects of the psychedelic drug psilocybin on mouse behavior. Five laboratories performed the same...
Abstract Predictive coding frameworks suggest that neural computations rely on hierarchical error minimization, where sensory signals are evaluated against internal model predictions. However, the neural implementation of this inference process remains unclear. We propose that cross-frequency coupling (CFC) furnishes a fundamental mechanism for this form of inference. We first demonstrate that...
Study Objectives High-frequency EEG activity during sleep (cortical hyperarousal), is a transdiagnostic feature across psychiatric disorders, including nightmare disorder. It is discussed as a target of intervention; however, specific treatment options are yet unavailable. We tested whether exposure to relaxation-associated odor cues during sleep would reduce cortical hyperarousal, i.e. beta...
Abstract Psychedelics can profoundly alter consciousness by reorganising brain connectivity; however, their effects are contextsensitive. To understand how this reorganisation depends on the context, we collected and comprehensively analysed the largest psychedelic neuroimaging dataset to date. Sixty-two adults were scanned with functional MRI and EEG during rest and naturalistic stimuli...
Abstract The recent renaissance in research on psychedelics such as psilocybin has highlighted their therapeutic potential including their lasting influences on brain function. Here we report that a single systemic administration of the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin can durably promote social behaviour in the Cntnap2-knockout mouse model of autism. This effect can be blocked by...
Abstract Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is typically characterized by altered linear functional connectivity (FC) across large-scale brain networks. Yet, it is unclear whether similar alterations are observed when nonlinear FC is examined. This study investigated how antidepressant treatment (i.e., psilocybin and escitalopram) modulates both linear FC and nonlinear FC in individuals with MDD....