Brain Sciences
January 25, 2025
Francesco Weiss, Anna Magnesa, Matteo Gambini et al.
62 citations
Background: Psychedelics are increasingly recognized as a promising and innovative treatment strategy for several mental disorders. However, there is still a lively controversy in the medical community as regards the rationale of their employment, specifically their indications and potential dangers. Methods: A comprehensive literature search on “MEDLINE/PubMed” and “Web of Science” was...
Pharmaceuticals
January 24, 2025
John E Donello, Roger S McIntyre, Donald B Pickel et al.
14 citations
Plastogens are a class of therapeutics that function by rapidly promoting changes in neuroplasticity. A notable example, ketamine, is receiving great attention due to its combined rapid and long-term antidepressant effects. Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, and, in addition to its therapeutic activity, it is associated with psychotomimetic and dissociative side...
Neuroscience
January 9, 2025
Alireza Mohammad Hosseini, Hossein Khaleghzadeh-Ahangar, Atena Rahimi
Dementia is an increasing disorder, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the cause of 60% of all dementia cases. Despite all efforts, there is no cure for stopping dementia progression. Recent studies reported potential effects of psychedelics on neuroinflammation during AD. Psychedelics by 5HT2AR activation can reduce proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-6) and inhibit neuroinflammation. In...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 8, 2025
Delong Zhou, Heike Schuler, Vedrana Cvetkovska et al.
2 citations
preprint
Abstract Despite enormous interest in psychedelics for psychiatric interventions, potential underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we confirm that a single dose of psilocybin increases synaptic transmission in mouse medial prefrontal cortex. Using scRNA-sequencing, we identify cell-type specific mechanisms of sustained neuroplastic effects. We show that, 24h post-psilocybin,...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
January 6, 2025
Daniel Yochai Panitz, Avi Mendelsohn, Joana Cabral et al.
5 citations
Interest has been growing in the use of mindfulness meditation (MM) as a therapeutic practice, as accumulating evidence highlights its potential to effectively address a range of mental conditions. While many fMRI studies focused on neural activation and functional connectivity during meditation, the impact of long-term MM practice on spontaneous brain activity, and on the expression of resting...
Sub-cellular biochemistry
2025
Sabrina Venditti
Epigenetic mechanisms are key processes that constantly reshape genome activity carrying out physiological responses to environmental stimuli. Such mechanisms regulate gene activity without modifying the DNA sequence, providing real-time adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Both favorable and unfavorable lifestyles have been shown to influence body and brain by means of epigenetics,...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2025
Aslihan Uyar, Ali Saffet Gonul
Major depressive disorder (MDD) presents a significant global health challenge, characterized by a high prevalence and significant impact on quality of life. Traditional antidepressants fall short in terms of efficacy and onset speed, up to 60% of patients. This review delves into the new and emerging pharmacologic treatments for MDD, focusing on their mechanisms of action, clinical...
Progress in Brain Research
2025
Nethmini Navoda Sirimanne, Nupur Dahiya, Garbis Papazian et al.
1 citation
The global rise in age-related neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, significantly impacts healthcare systems and quality of life. Mindfulness and meditation (MM), rooted in ancient philosophical traditions, are gaining attention as promising non-pharmacological treatments. This chapter examines the historical evolution,...
Engrami
2025
Mile Jevtić
1 citation
Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that cause changes in perception, state of consciousness, mood and numerous cognitive processes. The best known are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin and mescaline. The main mechanism of action of psychedelics is agonism towards serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. In the middle of the 20th century, interest in the use of...
Frontiers in Neuroscience
2025
Antonio Inserra, Colin J. Murray, Antonella Campanale et al.
Emerging evidence indicates that rapid-acting antidepressants (RAADs)-including ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics- may affect myelin homeostasis, aside from producing fast-onset, sustained improvements in several psychiatric disorders. A systematic search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Europe PMC, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Google Scholar was conducted up to...
University of Michigan Library
2025
Nicholas Kolbman
Psilocybin containing mushrooms have been utilized for ceremonial, medicinal, and spiritual purposes for millennia. Recently there has been a surge of scientific interest in the therapeutic potential and mechanistic understanding of serotonergic psychedelics, including psilocybin. Psilocybin is classified as a serotonergic psychedelic because the non-ordinary state of consciousness that it...
Translational Food Sciences
2025
Charles S. Brennan, Yanyi Huang, Margaret A. Brennan
3 citations
Abstract The use of mushrooms in health-promoting foods and substances is widely studied. There are compelling data to indicate that polysaccharides and phenolic compounds derived from mushroom sources have long-lasting metabolic effects when ingested. More recently, attention has returned to the traditional practices of using psychotropic bioactive ingredients obtained from mushrooms for the...
Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal
2025
Álex Escolà-Gascón
10 citations
What if quantum entanglement could accelerate learning by unlocking higher states of conscious experience? This study provides empirical and statistical evidence of how quantum entanglement influences consciousness at a biophysical level. We analyzed data from 106 monozygotic twin pairs (N = 212), randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Using a consanguinity-based matching...
Frontiers in Psychology
2025
Qi Mao, Wolfgang Mastnak, Ruiyuan Guan
2 citations
Archaeological findings witness the anthropological roots of dance, while psychological, medical, cultural and aesthetic studies shed light on health promoting capacities and curative factors inhering in symbolic and expressive body movement. Since dance therapy became a multifaceted discipline in the middle of the 20th century, increasing evidence of beneficial effects has advocated the use of...
The Science of the total environment
2025
Marija Stevanović, Niki Tagkalidou, Cristiana Roberta Multisanti et al.
15 citations
The acoustic startle response (ASR) is leaded by a sudden and intense acoustic stimulus. ASR has several forms of plasticity, including habituation and sensorimotor gating. Although ASR and its plasticity have been intensively studied in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae, information in adult zebrafish is still very scarce. In this manuscript we present Zebra_K, a new automated high-content...
American Journal of Psychiatry
2025
David E. Olson
8 citations
Numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated that psychedelics promote the growth of cortical neurons in the prefrontal cortex. However, measuring psychedelic-induced structural plasticity in humans has remained a challenge. New advances in positron emission tomography imaging could facilitate the measurement of synaptic proteins in humans following psychedelic administration. Identifying a...
Progress in Brain Research
2025
Mohamad Alfateh Abou Haykal
This chapter explores the profound impact of love and joyful memories on the brainstem, emphasizing their significance for mental and emotional well-being. It introduces the brainstem's role in essential life functions and its connection to higher emotional processes. Topics delve into the neurobiology of love, detailing how chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin interact with...
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
2025
Claire E Miller, Phillip R. Zoladz
10 citations
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition that develops following exposure to a traumatic event. Individuals with this condition experience numerous physiological and behavioral alterations, including intrusive memories, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, heightened anxiety, hypervigilance, impaired cognition, elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure,...
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
2025
Daniel A Kinderlehrer
13 citations
The incidence of mental health disorders is increasing worldwide. While there are multiple factors contributing to this problem, neuroinflammation underlies a significant subset of psychiatric conditions, particularly major depressive and anxiety disorders. Anti-inflammatory interventions have demonstrated benefit in these conditions. Psilocin, the active ingredient of mushrooms in the...
Neuroscience of Consciousness
2025
Adam Safron, Arthur Juliani, Nicco Reggente et al.
44 citations
How is it that psychedelics so profoundly impact brain and mind? According to the model of "Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics" (REBUS), 5-HT2a agonism is thought to help relax prior expectations, thus making room for new perspectives and patterns. Here, we introduce an alternative (but largely compatible) perspective, proposing that REBUS effects may primarily correspond to a particular (but...