Behavioural Brain Research - The Consciousness Library

Ibogaine as a Double-Edged Sword: Developmental Cardiotoxicity and Neurobehavioral Alterations in Zebrafish

Behavioural Brain Research August 1, 2026 Alessandra Mara de Oliveira, Flavia R. Abe, Rafael G. Dos Santos et al.

Ibogaine has attracted increasing attention as a potential treatment for substance use disorders; however, its clinical application remains limited by well-documented cardiotoxicity, and its safety during early development is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the developmental cardiotoxic and neurobehavioral effects of ibogaine using zebrafish embryos and larvae as a translational model....

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116429

Ketamine Metabolites Promote Anxiolysis and Hydrocortisone Stress Buffering in Zebrafish.

Behavioural Brain Research July 9, 2026 Jeffrey R Kelly, Lindsey S Brasfield, Aryssa H Kelsey et al.

Anxiety and stress-related disorders affect over 280 million individuals worldwide and remain inadequately treated by current pharmacotherapies, which are often limited in efficacy and tolerability. Ketamine produces rapid therapeutic effects in mood and anxiety disorders, but its clinical use is constrained by dissociative side effects and abuse liability. Ketamine metabolites, particularly (2...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116230 Full text Anxiety Hydroxynorketamine Stress Zebrafish

Adaptive Attention Processes in Mindfulness Meditation: An EEG-based Review of Modifiable Neural Correlates.

Behavioural Brain Research July 1, 2026 L. Rosenfeld, Rebecca L. Silton, Erica K Yuen

Mindfulness meditation has been studied for its many health benefits, yet the neural mechanisms that facilitate these benefits are still opaque. The present review examines adaptive attention processes and associated dynamic brain networks (e.g., executive control network, default mode network) that are engaged during mindfulness meditation, demonstrating emerging evidence of durable...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116399

Acute ketamine withdrawal disrupts memory and monoaminergic neurotransmission in adolescent female rats.

Behavioural Brain Research March 28, 2026 Lucas Villar Pedrosa Da Silva Pantoja, Luiza Fernanda Ramos Soares, Brenda Costa Da Conceição et al.

Adolescence is a period of profound behavioral changes associated with high brain vulnerability to negative stimuli including psychotropic drugs misuse which may contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is an anesthetic agent used in a recreational manner in night clubs and raves, especially by intranasal route. The psychedelic effects of...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116048 Full text Ketamine Adolescence Cognition Memory +2

The effects of acute and repeated adolescent MDMA exposure on behavior, cognition, and the monoamine neurotransmitter systems: A review of human and pre-clinical research

Behavioural Brain Research February 10, 2026 Kristin A. Felsch, Jessica A. Siegel

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a psychomotor stimulant drug. While much research has examined the effects of MDMA in adults, relatively little research has examined the effects in adolescents. Adolescence is a unique period of brain development, and the effects of MDMA may differ in adolescents compared to adults. In this review, we summarize the literature on the effects of acute...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116098 MDMA Serotonin Ecstasy Serotonergic +10

Decoding the Neural Correlates of Social Cognition and Emotion Recognition in Cannabis Users: A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging Studies.

Behavioural Brain Research August 1, 2025 C. Romein, Mika Mautner-Rohde, Karis Colyer-Patel et al.

Social factors significantly influence the initiation and progression of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Although cannabis is the most widely used drug globally, its social cognitive aspects and neural correlates have rarely been studied. To evaluate the findings to date and to guide future research, this systematic review assesses neuroimaging evidence on the associations between...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115755 Full text

Differential Actions of Ketamine on CA3-Prelimbic and CA3-Infralimbic Connection Responsivity Depend on Prior Exposure to Stress.

Behavioural Brain Research June 27, 2025 Carlos M Contreras, Ana G Gutiérrez-García 1 citation

The present study explored the behavioral stressing action of a 15-min forced swim test (FST) session, changes in CA3-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connection responsivity, and whether ketamine reverses such changes. Two groups of male Wistar rats were subjected to a 15-min FST session. Sixty minutes later, they were injected with either saline (stress [STR] SAL group) or ketamine (STR KET...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115712 Full text Ketamine Forced swim test Infralimbic cortex Stress-sensitive +9

Ayahuasca reverses ischemic stroke-induced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.

Behavioural Brain Research May 8, 2025 Larissa da Silva Joaquim, Lara Rodrigues da Rosa, Yasmin Strickert et al. 5 citations

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Survivors face disability and psychiatric sequelae resulting from ischemia-induced cell death and associated neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. Herbal medicines have been shown to elicit neuroprotective effects following stroke due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Preliminary evidence suggests that...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115521 Full text DMT Ischemic stroke Neuroinflammation Neuroprotection +6

Schrödinger's cat and mouse: An adapted thought experiment for the context of consciousness.

Behavioural Brain Research April 12, 2025 Eamonn Eeles, Dana Pourzinal, Jalal Baland et al.

Consciousness, at its simplest, represents awareness of self in relation to the outside world. This can be divided further into the reasoning and rationality of Access consciousness (A-C) versus the experiential and 'what it's like' of Phenomenal consciousness (P-C). A-C is directly measurable, using standard tests of cognition and memory. However, owing to the subjective nature of P-C, its...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115459 Full text Default mode network Awareness Consciousness disorders

Repeated administration of a subanesthetic dose of ketamine results in impaired motor and cognitive behavior and differential expression of hippocampal P2X1 and P2X7 receptors in adult mice.

Behavioural Brain Research March 28, 2025 Teresa Belem Mares-Barbosa, Ares Orlando Cuellar-Santoyo, Victor Manuel Ruiz-Rodríguez et al. 3 citations

Ketamine hydrochloride serves multiple purposes, including its use as a general anesthetic, treatment for depression, and recreational drug. In studies involving rodents, ketamine is utilized as a model for schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether age affects the behavioral response induced by repeated ketamine administration and if it modifies the expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115441 Full text Ca1 Ca3 Dentate gyrus Glua2 +7

Effects of combined postweaning social isolation and ketamine administration on schizophrenia-like behaviour in male Sprague Dawley rats.

Behavioural Brain Research January 5, 2025 Khanyiso Bright Shangase, Mluleki Luvuno, Musa V Mabandla 6 citations

The pathophysiology behind negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia is not well understood, thus limiting the effectiveness of treatment on these symptoms. Developing reliable animal model of schizophrenia is vital to advance our understanding on the neurobiological basis of the disorder. Double hit is used to refer to the use of two schizophrenia inducing interventions viz ketamine...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115214 Full text Ketamine Aggressive behaviour Double hit Group housed +5

(2R, 6R)-hydroxynorketamine ameliorates PTSD-like behaviors during the reconsolidation phase of fear memory in rats by modulating the VGF/BDNF/GluA1 signaling pathway in the hippocampus.

Behavioural Brain Research January 5, 2025 Han Wang, Yuxuan He, Jiahao Tang et al. 5 citations

Fear memory, a fundamental symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is improved by (2R, 6R)-hydroxynorketamine ((2R, 6R)-HNK) administration. However, the phase of fear memory in which the injected drug is the most effective at mitigating PTSD-like effects remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effects of (2 R, 6 R)-HNK administration during three phases [acquisition (AP),...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115273 Full text 2r 6r-hydroxynorketamine Acquisition Extinc-tion +6

Cortical high-frequency oscillations (≈ 110 Hz) in cats are state-dependent and enhanced by a subanesthetic dose of ketamine.

Behavioural Brain Research January 5, 2025 Santiago Castro-Zaballa, Joaquín González, Matías Cavelli et al. 4 citations

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist that has antidepressant and anesthetic properties. At subanesthetic doses, ketamine induces transient psychosis in humans, and is used to model psychosis in experimental animals. In rodents, subanesthetic doses of ketamine increase the power of high-frequency oscillations (HFO, > 100 Hz) in the electroencephalogram (EEG), a frequency band linked to...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115231 Full text Anesthesia Cognition Gamma Hfo +9

Exposure to the Psychedelic Substance 25H-NBOMe Disrupts Maternal Care in Lactating Rats and Subsequently Impairs the Social Play Behavior of the Offspring.

Behavioural Brain Research February 1, 2024 Larissa M.a. Melo, Wellington A De Barros, Ângelo de Fátima et al.

Given the critical role of maternal care in the neurodevelopment of offspring, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the psychedelic substance 25H-NBOMe on maternal behavior in lactating rats and its subsequent impact on the social and neurodevelopmental behavior of the offspring. We administered two different dosages of 25H-NBOMe (0.3mg/kg and 1.0mg/kg; i,p,) to lactating rats and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114924

Prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex impairment by 5-HT2A receptor activation in the inferior colliculus is prevented by GABAA receptor blockade in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus.

Behavioural Brain Research June 25, 2023 Rodolpho Pereira de Oliveira, Thaís S. Yokoyama, Lucas de Santana Cardoso Thomaz et al. 2 citations

The relationship between serotonin dysfunction and schizophrenia commenced with the discovery of the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) that has high affinity for 5-HT2A receptors. Activation of these receptors produces perceptual and behavioural changes such as illusions, visual hallucinations and locomotor hyperactivity. Using prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle, which...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114436 Full text Gaba Inferior colliculus Pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus Prepulse inhibition +5

Ketamine supresses REM sleep and markedly increases EEG gamma oscillations in the Wistar Kyoto rat model of treatment-resistant depression.

Behavioural Brain Research May 1, 2023 S. Kantor, Michael Lanigan, Lauren Giggins et al. 11 citations

Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats exhibit depression-like characteristics and decreased sensitivity to monoamine-based antidepressants, making them a suitable model of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine has emerged recently as a rapidly acting antidepressant with high efficacy in TRD. Our aim was to determine whether subanaesthetic doses of ketamine can correct sleep and electroencephalogram...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114473 Full text

Effect of psilocybin on decision-making and motivation in the healthy rat.

Behavioural Brain Research February 25, 2023 Brianna F Roberts, Alexia L Zylko, Courtney E Waters et al. 13 citations

Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin are hallucinogenic serotonergic agonists with high affinity for several serotonin receptors. In addition to underlying the hallucinogenic effects of these compounds, serotonin receptor activation also has important effects on decision-making and goal-directed behaviors. The impact of psilocybin and psilocin on these cognitive systems, however,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114262 Full text Psilocybin Delay discounting Head twitch response Motivation +8

Antidepressant and anxiolytic-like effects of ayahuasca in rats subjected to LPS-induced neuroinflammation

Behavioural Brain Research July 14, 2022 Marina Goulart Da Silva, Guilherme Cabreira Daros, Fabiana Pereira Santos et al. 22 citations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioral response of ayahuasca in rats submitted to neuroinflammation through the intraperitoneal application of lipopolysaccharide (0.63 mg/kg/mL). Eighty animals, male, about 90 days old, were divided into control and LPS groups and later into prevention and treatment subgroups. The prevention subgroup was administered ayahuasca or saline...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114007 Ayahuasca Anxiety Neuroinflammation Anxiolytic +8

S-ketamine Administration in Pregnant Mice Induces ADHD- and Depression-like behaviors in Offspring Mice.

Behavioural Brain Research July 1, 2022 Li-Min Zhang, Na Liu, Lucy Cao et al.

BACKGROUND Anesthesia and psychotropic drugs in pregnant women may cause long-term effects on the brain development of unborn babies. The authors set out to investigate the neurotoxicity of S-ketamine, which possesses anesthetic and antidepressant effects and may cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)- and depression-like behaviors in offspring mice. METHODS Pregnant mice were...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113996

What is neurorepresentationalism? From neural activity and predictive processing to multi-level representations and consciousness.

Behavioural Brain Research June 1, 2022 Cyriel M A Pennartz

This review provides an update on Neurorepresentationalism, a theoretical framework that defines conscious experience as multimodal, situational survey and explains its neural basis from brain systems constructing best-guess representations of sensations originating in our environment and body [1]. It posits that conscious experience is characterized by five essential hallmarks: (i) multimodal...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113969 Full text

Effects of repeated ayahuasca administration on behaviour and c-Fos expression in male rats exposed to the open field

Behavioural Brain Research April 1, 2022 Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Vanessa Manchim Favaro, Paulo Rogério Morais et al. 10 citations

Considering the long-lasting effects of ayahuasca on the brain and emotional processing, the objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioural and neurobiological effects of repeated ayahuasca administration in an animal model of exploratory behaviour related to novel-environment anxiety. Male Wistar rats received water, 120, 240, 480 or 3600 mg/kg of resuspended freeze-dried ayahuasca by...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113878 Ayahuasca Serotonergic Anxiety Serotonin +9

Schizophrenia-like endurable behavioral and neuroadaptive changes induced by ketamine administration involve Angiotensin II AT1receptor.

Behavioural Brain Research February 23, 2022 V. Occhieppo, O. Basmadjian, N. A. Marchese et al.

Schizophrenia is a chronic disease affecting 1% worldwide population, of which 30% are refractory to the available treatments: thus, searching for new pharmacological targets is imperative. The acute and repeated ketamine administration are validated preclinical models that recreate the behavioral and neurochemical features of this pathology, including the parvalbumin-expressing interneurons...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113809

Methodological aspects of studying the mechanisms of consciousness.

Behavioural Brain Research February 15, 2022 Vassiliy Tsytsarev

There are at least two approaches to the definition of consciousness. In the first case, certain aspects of consciousness, called qualia, are considered inaccessible for research from a third person and can only be described through subjective experience. This approach is inextricably linked with the so-called "hard problem of consciousness", that is, the question of why consciousness has...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113684 Full text Brain Claustrum Consciousness meter Thalamocortical loop

Towards an animal model of consciousness based on the platform theory.

Behavioural Brain Research February 15, 2022 Armin Zlomuzica, Ekrem Dere

The evolution of intellectual capacities has brought forth a continuum of consciousness levels subserved by neuronal networks of varying complexity. Brain pathologies, neurodegenerative, and mental diseases affect conscious cognition and behavior. Although impairments in consciousness are among the most devastating consequences of neurological and mental diseases, valid and reliable animal...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113695 Full text Animal consciousness Behavioral phenotyping Behavioral test battery Composite score +1

Temporo-spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) - Bridging the gap of neuronal activity and phenomenal states.

Behavioural Brain Research February 1, 2022 Georg Northoff, Federico Zilio 138 citations

Consciousness and its neural mechanisms remain a mystery. Current neuroscientific theories focus predominantly on the external input/stimulus and the associated stimulus-related activity during conscious contents. Despite all progress, we encounter two gaps: (i) a gap between spontaneous and stimulus-related activity; (ii) a gap between neuronal and phenomenal features. A novel, different, and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113788 Full text

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