Abstract Hyperthermic responses are commonly reported in cases of human medical emergency following recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”), but a precise determination of contributing environmental factors has been elusive given the relative scarcity of threatening and fatal reactions in humans. This study was conducted to determine if elevated physical activity...
This article describes a case of a 'spiritual attack' in the context of Amazonian ayahuasca ceremonies. These attacks are often assumed to be imaginary, and there is relatively little information available about them. Specifically, there appears to be no documentation about possible mechanisms of action for these attacks. Subjectively, they typically appear as context-dependent visions or...
Abstract: Although ketamine can induce a state similar to a near-death experience (NDE), there is a striking difference between experiences induced by ketamine used in a recreational context and in an operating room. Ketamine is a noncompetitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, as is ibogaine, the main alkaloid of a shrub used in Central Africa to induce NDEs in a religious...
Acacia C Parks, Amanda L Woodward, Robert D Henry et al.
BACKGROUND Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are leading global causes of disability. Standard interventions often suffer from slow mechanisms of action, high attrition, and significant accessibility barriers. While intravenous (IV) and intranasal ketamine have emerged as rapid-acting alternatives, their high cost and...
Background: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a hallucinogenic agent. In the mid-20th century, it was used to augment psychoanalysis and to treat alcohol use disorder. However, LSD was banned in 1970 in part due to concerns that it could bring about or exacerbate mental illness. Its therapeutic potential remains incompletely understood.Areas of Uncertainty: While uncontrolled recreational use...
The present study addresses the problem of consciousness from the perspective of its phenomenological content (awareness). It examines the main contemporary theories concerning the neural correlates of consciousness, focusing on the Global Neuronal Workspace Model (GNWM) and the Higher-Order Theory (HOT). While the GNWM proposes that conscious access arises from the propagation of sensory...
The ability to discriminate among goal-relevant stimuli tends to diminish when detections must be made continuously over time. Previously, we reported that intensive training in shamatha (focused-attention) meditation can improve perceptual discrimination of difficult-to-detect visual stimuli (MacLean et al., 2010). Here we extend these findings to examine how discrimination difficulty and...