Spirituality is increasingly recognized for its association with emotional and physical health. However, many existing measures conflate it with general well-being or religiosity, making it difficult to examine spirituality as a distinct construct. The present study introduces the Short Spirituality Scale (SSS) to address this problem. It consists of a ten-item spirituality measure grounded in...
This hypothesis and perspective article proposes that dosing schedule should be treated as an independent pharmacological variable in psilocybin microdosing research. Existing controlled studies relevant to depression and mood have predominantly used intermittent schedules. The first dedicated randomized trial in major depressive disorder used 2 mg psilocybin once weekly and did not demonstrate...
Impaired cognitive performance and increased levels of anxiety and depressiveness have been reported following chronic use of the recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”). The aim of this study was to investigate whether memory functions and mood states are affected by two moderate doses of MDMA administered to healthy volunteers at intervals of two weeks, and hence...
Background: The past few decades have seen a revived interest in psychedelic-assisted and ketamine-assisted therapy for mental health disorders, but data concerning the acute, subacute, and long-term effects of serotonergic psychedelics on cognitive functioning are scarce. This international, online study (N = 759) sought to investigate the potential acute, subacute, and long-term effects of...
Scientific ReportsSeptember 24, 2026Giammarco di Gregorio, Basset Sophia, Harjot Manmohan et al.
Abstract Depression and anxiety affect one in five adults and vary across the lifespan; while prevalence generally declines with age until midlife, later life is marked by a re-emergence of symptoms. Although clinical trials suggest classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, LSD) and non-classic psychedelics (e.g., MDMA, ketamine) may alleviate these symptoms, it remains unclear how these...
Chronic psychological stress is a major public health problem with adverse effects on mental health, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and work functioning. Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a standardised meditation that may reduce stress and enhance wellbeing, yet long-term evidence in workplace settings is limited. This study evaluated the effect of TM on perceived stress and related...
Science AdvancesSeptember 23, 2026Jinseon Yu, In Sun Choi, Gyu Hyun Kim et al.
Thalamofrontal (TF) dysconnectivity is one of the most consistent circuit-level abnormalities reported in patients with schizophrenia and is linked to deficits in short-term memory (STM). However, the biological mechanisms underlying TF weakening remain unclear. Here, we show that repeated adolescent N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonism produces STM deficits by impairing TF...
The use of ketamine as a treatment for mood disorders continues to grow in popularity. However, the differences between individuals consuming ketamine within clinical settings and those self-medicating in casual, non-clinical settings has not been yet characterized. Using the 2023 Global Psychedelic Survey, this study aimed to examine the demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as the...
Background: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents a major clinical challenge, being associated with high morbidity, increased suicide risk, and substantial socioeconomic burden. The need for rapidly acting interventions has driven the development of rapid-acting antidepressants (RAADs), such as ketamine, esketamine, and scopolamine. This study aimed to systematically review the...
The genus Psilocybe has been characterized by central nervous system (CNS) effects and as a source of therapeutic drugs such as the alkaloids psilocybin and psilocin—secondary metabolites that produce rapid anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, these mushrooms also contain bioactive primary metabolites, for example, the interesting case of...