Differences in the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala have consistently been observed between young adults with heavy cannabis use relative to their non-using counterparts. However, it remains unclear whether the subfields of these functionally and structurally heterogenous regions exhibit similar patterns of change in young adults with long-term heavy cannabis use disorder (CUD). This...
Treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) has remained largely unchanged and focuses primarily on symptomatic relief through activation of dopaminergic pathways. Currently, there are no proven prophylactic approaches to the prevention of PD. This systematic review seeks to compare two separate compounds, metformin (MTF) and psilocybin, as potential prophylactic therapeutics against the development...
Health and SocietyJanuary 8, 2025Eduardo D’avila Lins Lacerda, Bianca Medeiros Ferraz da Nóbrega, Yasmin Mesquita Dias Franca Gadelha et al.
Psychedelics have emerged as a promising approach to treating mental disorders, challenging traditional paradigms in psychiatry. This study conducted an integrative literature review to investigate the advances, challenges, and implications of the therapeutic use of these substances, addressing the guiding question: “What are the current scientific perspectives on the use of psychedelics in the...
Chronic pain affects approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide, representing the leading cause of disability and a significant financial burden on healthcare systems. Conventional treatments, such as opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are frequently linked to adverse effects, including dependency and gastrointestinal issues, and often offer limited long-term relief. This review...
In Man Walks into a Room, a neuronovel staging an amnesiac, Nicole Krauss challenges the memory-identity equation. While she draws on neuroscience, she also writes against it, as she emphasizes the explanatory gap and the problem of qualia. To resist the growing authority of neuroscience and its often reductionist discourse, Krauss features a neurosurgeon as a mad scientist coming straight out...
ABSTRACT There is growing interest to investigate classic psychedelics as potential therapeutics for mental illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated that one dose of psilocybin leads to persisting neural and behavioral changes. The durability of psilocybin’s effects suggests that there are likely alterations of gene expression at the transcriptional level. In this study, we performed...
CNS Spectrums2025Ana Rodríguez Lorente, María Pilar Campos-Navarro, Ángela Gil Montoya et al.
Abstract Objectives This proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the impact of intranasal esketamine (ESK-IN) in brain volume and neurofilament light chain (sNfL) over 6-months in patients with treatment resistant depression (TDR). Methods Seven TRD patients received ESK-IN while continuing oral antidepressants. Clinical evaluations were conducted at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months, with MRI scans...
This article examines the question of whether living beings possess an innate, unchangeable nature or have the capacity for fundamental transformation—a question with profound implications for treating addiction-related physical illness. By integrating diverse perspectives from religious and philosophical traditions, mystical thought, modern neuroscience, genetics, and clinical approaches to...
Abstract Resetting involves the deliberate clearing of mental space to create availability for novelty and fresh perspectives. This chapter explores how cognitive and emotional reset practices—ranging from Cartesian doubt to poetic immersion—can interrupt habitual patterns and autopilot thinking. Drawing on philosophy of mind, cognitive science and research on neuroplasticity and contemplative...
Explore2025João Francisco Pollo Gaspary, Alfred Lee Edgar, Fernanda Peron Gaspary et al.
Ancestral healing rituals have long been embedded in cultural traditions as symbolic practices. However, emerging evidence suggests these rituals may act as structured behavioral interventions capable of eliciting adaptive physiological responses. This study proposes a translational reinterpretation of ancestral healing rituals through the lens of contemporary redox biology, systems physiology,...