Seizures are commonly reported in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated cerebral cortical encephalitis (MOG-CCE). However, seizure management during the acute phase has not been established. A 9-year-old previously healthy boy presented with fever persisting for approximately 6 days, along with headache and altered consciousness. Plain T2-weighted and...
Ketamine exerts rapid antidepressant effects by enhancing neuroplasticity, particularly in the amygdala and hippocampus-regions involved in fear processing and learning. While the role of ketamine's dissociative effects in its antidepressant response is debated, anxiety experienced during infusion has been negatively correlated with treatment outcomes. In this single-blind, placebo-controlled...
Self-consciousness, the introspection of one's existence and thoughts, represents a high-level cognitive process. As language models advance at an unprecedented pace, a critical question arises: Are these models becoming self-conscious? Drawing upon insights from psychological and neural science, this work presents a practical definition of self-consciousness for language models and refines ten...
Contemporary neuroscience research typically focuses on shared contents of experience and common neural states. Conversely, we set out to explore the neural correlates of individual- specific experiences that shape the distinct traits of each person. We propose an approach through which we compute individual-specific dynamics of functional connectivity states. These dynamics do not require...
Previous studies have reported that bodily self-consciousness could be altered so that one’s body was perceived in extra-personal space. However, whether this could be induced without tactile stimuli has not been investigated. We investigated whether out-of-body illusion could be induced via synchronized audio-visual stimuli, in which auditory stimuli were used instead of tactile stimuli. We...
Substance-induced psychosis (SIP) is an increasingly prevalent and complex condition that presents significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. With the rising use of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) and potent traditional compounds like cannabis and cocaine, particularly among adolescents and young adults, understanding the mechanisms and clinical manifestations of SIP has become...
A universal aspect of human psychology is the quest and cultivation of rapture states, the need to stand outside oneself (ecstasy). The question is what may drive the human need to abandon and transcend a default mode of survival to cultivate altered states of consciousness? The idea is to approach this basic question in light of what arguably sets us apart in nature: human self-consciousness...
Maddinks is a non-speaking, untamed, and fiercely independent woman: a conjurer of spirits, shamanic healer, and conductor of trauma releasement ceremonies. Never known by a proper first name, Maddinks is identified by this derogatory term, a reference to the mental instability she is rumored to have. As we consider indigenous spirituality, ceremonial dance, entrancement, and other forms of...
The history of studies on psychotropic and psychoactive substances in general and on hallucinogens concerning the religious experience and altered states of consciousness is undoubtedly wide and intriguing. Today, it clearly emerges that the scientific perspective has too often been shaped, or even spoiled, by socio-economic trends, political backgrounds, fashions and pop culture of the times....
Psychedelics have long been recognized not only for their profound impact on human consciousness but also for their potential therapeutic applications. This perspective explores the multifaceted relationship between psychedelics and consciousness, emphasizing their capacity to alter sensory perceptions, disrupt self-referential thought processes, and catalyze profound spiritual and existential...