Rationale: Increased neural complexity under psychedelics is replicated, but the temporal structure carrying it — and the design choices that decide what a "complexity increase" means — remain contested: window-level reports treat correlated windows as independent; cross-dataset contrasts confound pharmacology with protocol. Objectives: To test, in public EEG datasets with pre-registered...
Abstract Purpose of Review Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has re-emerged as a potential intervention for substance use disorders (SUDs), yet the psychological mechanisms underlying behaviour change remain poorly synthesised. This scoping review mapped and evaluated proposed psychological processes underpinning PAT in adults with SUDs. Recent Findings Peer-reviewed English-language empirical...
Psychopharmacology, once propelled by a series of serendipitous mid-20th-century discoveries, has matured into a field defined by mechanistic diversity, translational neuroscience, and an expanding array of circuit-based interventions. Despite more than 100 approved psychiatric drugs, remission rates for major depressive disorder and other serious mental disorders remain modest, underscoring...
The therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for neuropsychiatric conditions have gathered significant attention in Europe and around the world, with treatments using psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine as notable examples. However, the mind-altering effects of these substances, and the complexity of their regulatory frameworks, both within and outside of therapeutic use, imply careful clinical...
The pathophysiology of depression involves multiple biological processes, including circuit dysfunction and impaired neuroplasticity, yet an integrative view linking these processes remains elusive. Here, we identify a convergent circuit for antidepressant response and plasticity modulation. We demonstrate that chemogenetic activation of the infralimbic cortex (IL) exerts rapid...
Background: Epidemiological data on psychedelic use in Italy is limited. In this study, Italian responders in the Global Psychedelic Survey 2025 were subanalyzed to describe patterns of use, motivations, subjective experiences, and health correlates. Methods: Adults (≥21 years) with lifetime psychedelic exposure, residing in or born in Italy or San Marino, were surveyed in a web-based,...
This work introduces the Critical Reconstructability Corridor (CRC) hypothesis, a theoretical, computational, and empirically testable framework for investigating consciousness-relevant neural dynamics beyond the conventional notion of a single “edge of chaos.” The central proposal is that biological dynamics capable of supporting consciousness may occupy a bounded, multidimensional and...
Introdução: O transtorno depressivo maior constitui uma importante causa de incapacidade e comprometimento da qualidade de vida. Entre os pacientes que não apresentam resposta adequada a tratamentos antidepressivos convencionais, destaca-se a depressão resistente ao tratamento, para a qual permanecem limitações terapêuticas relevantes. Nesse contexto, a cetamina e a esketamina surgiram como...
The use of animal models to study mental illnesses, such as depression, requires proper standardization and extensive expertise. Achieving good construct, face, and predictive validity in depression models is quite challenging. Currently, only a few environmental models, mostly based on chronic stress, and a limited number of genetic models fulfill these criteria. In the quest for new...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents one of the most complex forms of major depressive disorder, characterized by the persistence of clinically significant symptoms despite the performance of appropriate therapeutic interventions. This condition is associated with a worse prognosis, higher risk of recurrence, functional impairment, increased morbidity and mortality, and high...