Ciprofol is a novel GABAergic intravenous anesthetic with a rapid onset and favorable safety profile; however, the neural mechanisms underlying the induction and reversal of unconsciousness remain unclear. Electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates provide millisecond-scale markers of large-scale brain network dynamics and may reveal frequency-specific signatures of ciprofol' s effects on...
This project presents a unified, multimodal framework for understanding near-death experiences (NDEs) as structured transformations of the human world-model under extreme physiological stress. Drawing on neuroscience, cognitive psychology, phenomenology, and developmental research, the paper interprets core NDE features—such as tunnel vision, out-of-body experiences, altered time perception,...
This component develops a constraint-based framework for the empirical specification of tranquil states in meditation research. The manuscript proposes that tranquil states are characterized by the co-attenuation of default mode network activity and salience-network baseline drive, while distinguishing this configuration from broader trait effects, altered states, or generalized reductions in...
Consciousness is often treated as a property of the brain alone, yet accumulating evidence suggests that it is shaped by a recurrent dialogue between the brain and body. In this review, we discuss how cognition associated with consciousness-processes that define the observer, their observations, and arising qualia-depend on structured rhythmic correspondences between bodily rhythms and brain...
This paper introduces and formally defines the concept of Connective Trance, an original theoretical contribution to the study of artistic creation, aesthetic experience, and embodied consciousness. Connective Trance designates a liminal state of expanded awareness that precedes or accompanies creative and performative acts, characterized by intensified attention, partial suspension of...
The article examines psychedelic visual imagery in music videos. The "psychedelia" concept, primarily associated with a certain class of psychoactive substances and the altered states of consciousness they cause, is studied as an attribute of the present-day media sphere. In relation to the subject, it manifests itself in the form of recognizable visual aesthetics. The article traces the...
Despite divergent behavioral and phenomenological profiles, both psychedelic states and reduced states of consciousness have been associated with a flattening of the brain's functional hierarchy. To address this apparent paradox, we developed a more specific definition of hierarchy based on the proximity of the brain to thermodynamic equilibrium and then applied it to investigate the changes to...
Recent advances in psychedelic neuroscience have revitalized scientific inquiry into the biological foundations of consciousness. Large-scale neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated that psychedelics increase functional integration across distributed brain networks while weakening the stability of normally dominant neural architectures associated with self referential processing and...
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound subjective experiences that are reported by individuals who have been near death. These conscious experiences occur during critical states such as coma, cardiac arrest, or severe trauma. While the majority of NDEs are characterized by pleasant and often transformative elements like a sense of peace or connection to a higher consciousness, a significant...
Currently, there is substantial ongoing discussion around the functional role of the thalamus in consciousness. What is missing in the literature, however, is a systematic investigation of the relevance of specific thalamic nuclei in pharmacologically and pathologically altered states of consciousness in humans. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in both healthy...