Objective Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) or “bath salts” are increasingly sold over the Internet and used as substitutes for classic recreational substances. Previous studies showed that classic amphetamine‐type stimulants most potently act on the norepinephrine (NE) compared to the dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5‐HT) system and NE activation correlated with the subjective effects across...
March 30, 2018Luís Aguiar de Sousa, Ifilnova Post-doctoral Fellow
In this paper, I sketch out Merleau-Ponty’s theory of subjectivity as it is presented in the Phenomenology of Perception. I wil l start by showing that Merleau-Ponty’s theory presupposes Sartre’s notion of consciousness as anonymous and pre-reflective. Merleau-Ponty takes up these features and embeds them in the l ived body. The result is Merleau-Ponty’s notion of the “tacit cogito” as...
Se expone una reflexión acerca de los distintos tipos de propiedades fenomenológicas de algunos estados mentales, también conocidos como qualia, con el objetivo de identificar los roles que cumplen en la cognición. Para ello se releva primero el carácter cualitativo de la fenomenología, proponiéndose que conocer es un proceso que consiste en dar nuevos formatos a la experiencia a través de su...
BACKGROUND: The ceremonial use of psychoactive/hallucinogenic plant based drugs, such as ayahuasca, psilocybin and others, is a growing trend in the United States (US) and globally. To date, there has been little research documenting how many people are using psychoactive substances in this context, who the users are, what benefits/risks exist in the use of these drugs and the relationship...
The theory of embodied cognition implies that cognitive processes depend fundamentally on the physical characteristics of the subject’s body. If this is true, physical aspects of an individual play a significant role in its cognitive process, and because of that, the theory rivals with all perspectives that defend any kind of duality, separating body from mind, such as the Cartesian thesis....
Research suggests that daily cannabis users have impaired memory for past events, but it is not clear whether they are also impaired in prospective memory (PM) for future events. The present study examined prospective memory in daily cannabis users who were either dependent (n = 18) or non-dependent (n = 18), and compared them with non-using controls (n = 18). The effect of future event...
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that cannabis-induced psychotic-like experiences may be a marker of psychosis proneness. The effect of such experiences on cannabis use has not systematically been examined. METHODS: We undertook a mixed-methods online survey of 1231 cannabis users (including 926 continued users) using the Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire. We examined the effect of psychotic-like...
Lucid Dreaming (LD) is awareness that one is dreaming, during the dream state. However, some define and assess LD relying also on controlling dream events, although control is present only in a subset of lucid dreams. LD has been claimed to represent well-being, and has even been used as a therapeutic agent. Conversely, LD is associated with mixed sleep-wake states, which are related to bizarre...
An "intraworldly mysticism" is also a part of engaging the Infinite, of glimpsing immortality. To experience in oneself the love and joy of communing with the Infinite, that is, a sense of infinite being, knowledge, and bliss, requires a state of mind that nurtures the transcendent urge through compassion. Whether one calls them selfish cravings, inordinate needs, or infantile narcissism,...
Neuroscientists and genetics started a new era in human history. Neuroscience is a modern science and it developed after 1950. Scientific study of the body investigates how the messages in transit from the senses to the brain and make decisions and feelings. The neuron system of the body is the coordinator of the transiting information in the body. Neurons are cells specialized for...