The Journal of Sex Research
January 5, 2026
Lauren A Smith, Katerina Z Kolokotroni, Rhys Turner-Moore
There is limited research on how substance use impacts people's freedom to negotiate sexual activity with others, particularly in distinguishing between alcohol and drug use. This study addressed that gap by exploring how substance use can both extend and constrain sexual negotiation. A mixed-methods online survey of 354 UK adults aged 18-40 examined sexual consent across sober, alcohol-, and...
Journal of Vision
January 5, 2026
Cemre Yilmaz, Kerstin Maitz, Maximilian Gerschütz et al.
Binocular rivalry occurs when two eyes are presented with two conflicting stimuli. Although the physical stimulation stays the same, the conscious percept changes over time. This property makes it a unique paradigm in both vision science and consciousness research. Two key parameters, contrast and attention, were repeatedly shown to affect binocular rivalry dynamics in a similar manner. This...
Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Addiction
January 4, 2026
Amira Guirguis, John Martin Corkery, Fabrizio Schifano
Background: Ketamine, a dissociative anaesthetic and non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, has legitimate medical applications. However, rising illicit use across the United Kingdom (UK) has been accompanied by growing reports of toxicity, dependence, and deaths. These have led to renewed policy discussions. Rationale and Aim: Previous national studies have reported ketamine-related deaths...
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
January 3, 2026
Karolina L Bryl, Adam W. Hanley, Raymond E Baser et al.
1 citation
Chronic pain affects many cancer survivors yet remains underdiagnosed and inadequately managed. Existing treatments (e.g., opioids, NSAIDs) carry risks like addiction and limited long-term relief, while non-pharmacological options show modest effectiveness. Given these limitations innovative, evidence-based interventions are needed. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a multimodal...
Journal of Cannabis Research
January 2, 2026
Sunitha Vemuri, Samantha M. Ayoub, Arpi Minassian et al.
Cannabinoids have proven to useful for attenuating adverse effects of HIV. People living with HIV use cannabis at higher rates, with evidence suggesting it alleviates physiological symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, etc.. Cannabis can alter physiology as well as essential behavioral functions such as motivation. This study investigated the effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
January 2, 2026
Mario de la Fuente Revenga, Javier González-Maeso
1 citation
The distinct subjective effects that define psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, or 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) as drug class are causally linked to the activation of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT 2A R). However, some aspects of 5-HT 2A R pharmacology remain elusive, such as what molecular drivers differentiate psychedelic from...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 2, 2026
Frederick D. Sancilio, Maghsoud Dariani, Purvi Chavda et al.
Anxiety disorders are chronic health conditions affecting the quality of life of millions of people. Psilocin, the active moiety of psilocybin, provides an anxiolytic effect; however, when orally administered as psilocybin, it only offers a moderate level of bioavailability and less predictable pharmacokinetics, potentially making effects after absorption variable and increasing the risk of...
BMC Psychology
January 2, 2026
Reza Moshfeghinia, Sara Mostafavi, Kimia Jazi et al.
2 citations
Psilocybin may reduce depressive symptoms in cancer patients, with mixed effects on anxiety and time-dependent improvements in spiritual well-being and (in single-arm data) quality of life. Given the small number of studies, high heterogeneity, challenges with blinding/expectancy, and frequent co-intervention with psychotherapy, these findings are preliminary. Larger, rigorously blinded trials...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2026
Camila Estay-Olmos, Koyam Morales-Weil, Juan Ahumada et al.
The serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) is a Gq/11-coupled receptor implicated in reward processing, neuropsychiatric disorders, and the actions of serotonergic psychedelics. Although 5-HT2A activation has been shown to engage endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling in several brain regions, its role in inhibitory synaptic plasticity within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) remains poorly understood. Here, we...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2026
Daya Shankar Gupta
Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are essential for neuronal excitability and action-potential generation, yet the electrodynamic consequences of voltage-sensor motion remain largely unexplored. Here, we propose a biophysically grounded hypothesis in which transient electromechanical dynamics of NaV-channel voltage sensors give rise to weak cooperative electrodynamic interactions at the axon...