ABSTRACTThe current article is a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies that assess personality traits of long-term participants in ayahuasca rituals. An electronic search was conducted in the SCOPUS, PubMed and Web of Science databases. The systematic review included six final articles. In the meta-analysis, long-term ayahuasca participants, when compared with control...
The term "memory" typically refers to conscious retrieval of events and experiences from our past, but experience can also change our behaviour without corresponding awareness of the learning process or the associated outcome. Based primarily on early neuropsychological work, theoretical perspectives have distinguished between conscious memory, said to depend critically on structures in the...
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in Cannabis sativa, commonly known as cannabis or hemp. Although currently available CBD products do not meet the safety standards of most food safety authorities to be approved as a dietary supplement or food additive, CBD has been gaining widespread attention in recent years due to its various potential health...
The medical and recreational use of cannabis has increased in the United States. Its chronic use can have detrimental effects on the neurobiology of the brain-effects that are age-dependent. This was an exploratory study looking at the effects of chronically inhaled vaporized cannabis on brain structure in adult female mice. Adult mice were exposed daily to vaporized cannabis (10.3% THC and...
Environmental exposure to lead (Pb) and cannabis use are two of the largest public health issues facing modern society in the United States and around the world. Exposure to Pb in early life has been unequivocally shown to have negative impacts on development, and recent research is mounting showing that it may also predispose individuals for risk of developing substance use disorders (SUD). At...
During the last two years, hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), the hydrogenated derivative of tetrahydrocannabinol has been freely sold by internet websites as a "legal" replacement to THC and cannabis in a range of highly attractive branded and unbranded products, some of which are sold as "legal highs". Potentially, there could be a large demand for HHC products by individuals in Europe and...
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid with increasing popularity due to its purported therapeutic efficacy for numerous off-label conditions including anxiety and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Those with ASD are commonly deficient in endogenous cannabinoid signaling and GABAergic tone. CBD has a complex pharmacodynamic profile that includes enhancing GABA and...
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex chronic condition with core symptoms of fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, suggesting a key role for the central nervous system in the pathophysiology of this disease. Several studies have reported altered functional connectivity (FC) related to motor and cognitive deficits in ME/CFS patients. In this study, we compared...
Abstract This chapter reports on the paradigm of influencing the collective consciousness to create beneficial effects for societies. It presents this using three large public well-controlled published studies that document that when a group of the square root of 1% or more of a population practices a specific form of automatic self-transcending meditation (the Transcendental Meditation and...
Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism (禅道の千路) by Bret W. Davis (review) Steve G. Lofts Bret W. Davis, Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism (禅道の千路) There is no shortage of books on Zen from almost every imaginable angle. And so, what makes Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism...