An integrative review critically examined how scientific literature connects Buddhist meditation practices with psychological constructs and neuroscientific findings, focusing on mindfulness, compassion, impermanence, and non-self. Searches in PubMed, SciELO, PEPSIC, and Google Scholar used Portuguese and English descriptors. After thematic and methodological screening, the analytical corpus included studies discussing empirical evidence, theoretical formulations, and interpretive limits of this interdisciplinary interface. The studies converge in indicating that meditative practices are associated with attentional regulation, reduced rumination, changes in self-referential circuitry, and gains in compassion and emotional self-regulation.
About 30% of patients with major depressive disorder do not respond to any antidepressant, characterizing treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This narrative review critically examines evidence on ketamine and esketamine for TRD, including efficacy, mechanisms, safety, and access barriers. Both intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine produce rapid antidepressant responses within hours, possibly through glutamatergic modulation and neuroplasticity. In refractory populations, response rates range from 50% to 70%. However, limitations persist: methodological heterogeneity, short follow-up, dissociative effects, abuse potential, high cost, and restricted access, especially in Brazil. Ketamine represents a promising therapeutic alternative for TRD, but broader adoption depends on protocol standardization, long-term safety evaluation, and expanded access.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) involves distress after a traumatic event, and current treatments have limitations. MDMA, a psychedelic amphetamine, shows promise for enhancing psychotherapy. This integrative literature review of 16 articles from 2018-2024 examined MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, covering phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, effects on therapeutic alliance, fear extinction, memory reconsolidation, and neurobiological systems. Results suggest MDMA improves therapeutic outcomes, but more research is needed on its exact neurobiological mechanisms and long-term effects.