Clinical studies have demonstrated that exposure to the inhalational general anesthetic nitrous oxide (N2O) produces antidepressant effects in depressed patients. However, the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of N2O remain largely unknown. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-mediated nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is essential for brain function and underlies the molecular...
Background: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been the most studied and debated cannabinoids present in cannabis. The last decade has shown a notable increase in literature regarding CBD, recognizing its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Although there is limited evidence regarding the use of CBD in psychiatric disorders’ treatment, studies so far available...
Both chronic cannabis use and psychotic disorders are associated with abnormalities in visual attentional processing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we sought to determine whether there would be a difference in functional connectivity in patients and controls with and without a history of cannabis use in the visual and dorsal attention networks. Resting-state fMRI data were...
Obstinate intolerance, injustice or lies that favor privileged subgroups in today’s civilization depend on the roots of one-dimensional and dyadic paradigms. Certain interpretations and orientations of yoga are affected by this phenomenon. Paradigmatic shifts towards the triadic approach allow highlighting the philosophical richness of yoga and a better understanding of its tripartite...
In this paper I seek to unify enactive and ecological approaches to cognitive science by emphasizing the fact that both approaches view cognitive processes as being inherently temporally extended. My hypothesis is that characterizing the temporal scales in which perception of affordances occur, they can serve different purposes of explanation within the theories. Specifically, the paper brings...
Two important issues of recent discussion in the philosophy of biology and of the cognitive sciences have been the ontological status of living, cognitive agents and whether cognition and action have a normative character per se. In this paper I will explore the following conditional in relation with both the notion of affordance and the idea of the living as self-creation: if we recognize the...
Abstract Psychedelic-assisted therapy is based on the premise that psychedelic substances can act as catalysts or adjuncts to psychotherapeutic processes. Recent clinical trials involving psychedelic-assisted therapy have generally employed a similar three-part structure consisting of preparation, support during the dosing sessions, and subsequent “integration.” However, the content of these...
As interpersonal, racial, social, and international conflicts intensify in the world, it is important to safeguard the mental health of individuals affected by them. According to a Buddhist notion "if you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion," compassion practice is an intervention to cultivate conflict-proof well-being. Here, compassion...
This paper is a practical guide to neurophenomenology. Varela's neurophenomenological research program (NRP) aspires to bridge the gap between, and integrate, first-person (1P) and third-person (3P) approaches to understanding the mind. It does so by suggesting a methodological framework allowing these two irreducible phenomenal domains to relate and reciprocally support the investigation of...