There is a significant association between depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) represents an evolution of cognitive behavioural therapy and serves as a comprehensive psychological intervention. Preliminary research suggests that MBCT may enhance cognitive flexibility and attentional adjustment in patients with...
Metaphors have long played multiple roles in conceptualizing the mind and brain, guiding the development and refinement of theoretical models and empirical questions. Early analogies (comparing the brain to hydraulic systems, telephone exchanges, factories, or libraries) offered shortcuts to understanding aspects of cognition, memory, and brain dynamics. From theoretical frameworks, metaphors...
Ketamine is a non-competitive antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for anesthesia in 1970. The only other related US regulatory approval since then has been for esketamine nasal spray for depression in 2019. Over this time ketamine has been repurposed by mainly academic researchers, reporting clinical activity...
The Journal of PhysiologyJune 1, 2026Felipe Guiffa-Gómez, Sashá Van Buuren, Freddy Aguilar et al.1 citation
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) undergoes extensive GABAergic interneuron maturation during adolescence, a process that establishes excitatory-inhibitory balance and supports adult cognitive function. Disruptions during this critical developmental period contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the enduring consequences for adult synaptic plasticity remain poorly understood. Here we...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains one of psychiatry's most challenging disorders, common, disabling, and biologically complex. Despite decades of research, only sertraline and paroxetine are FDA-approved, both with modest efficacy. Even first-line trauma-focused psychotherapies leave up to half of patients with persistent symptoms. However, advances in neurobiology are reframing...
Background Ketamine has emerged as an effective rapid-acting treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), producing significant antidepressant effects within hours of administration. Given ketamine’s capacity to induce states of heightened neuroplasticity and psychological openness, psychotherapy may represent a meaningful complement to its pharmacological effects — facilitating...
Os transtornos psiquiátricos representam importante problema de saúde pública mundial, frequentemente associados a elevada morbidade, incapacidade funcional e impacto significativo na qualidade de vida. Apesar dos avanços terapêuticos disponíveis, muitos pacientes permanecem refratários aos tratamentos convencionais, estimulando a busca por novas abordagens terapêuticas. Nesse contexto, os...
The default mode network (DMN) is a central, large-scale brain network implicated in a range of cognitive functions and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Studying the DMN's complex dynamics in animal models provides invaluable insights into its function in both healthy and pathological states. However, performing stable, long-term, large-scale...
Summary Psychedelic compounds such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are increasingly studied for their neuroplastic effects and potential relevance to brain aging and neurodegeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms linking psychedelic-induced plasticity to age-associated cognitive decline remain unclear. Brain aging and dementia are characterized by coordinated transcriptional programs...
Psilocybin has emerged as a transformative, rapid-acting, and long-lasting therapeutic for treatment-resistant depression, with its efficacy rooted in the induction of sustained structural and functional remodeling of mood-regulating neural circuits 1 , 2 . However, the field faces a fundamental mechanistic paradox that defies linear signaling models: psilocin, the bioactive metabolite of...