This paper investigates the concept of perception (Pratyakṣa) and perceptual error in Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta. Though both the systems recognise perception as primary means of valid knowledge they vary conceptually in understanding the nature of object, self and consciousness, and the kind of knowledge perception reveals. Nyāya’s realism explains perception in terms of sannikarṣa:...
Psychedelics are a broad category of compounds that induce altered states of consciousness. These drugs have shown remarkable promise for the treatment of debilitating disorders ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder to depression and addiction. Although early studies focused on linking binding targets of psychedelics to their therapeutic effects, these pharmacological and biochemical...
PNAS NexusJuly 1, 2026David S Jin, Oumayma Agdali, Taruna Yadav et al.
Awareness of action (AoA), or conscious awareness of an action just performed, is an important part of daily experience with major practical and ethical relevance, yet the neural mechanisms of AoA remain largely unknown. The main barrier to studying AoA is a lack of experimental paradigms to directly compare neural activity in aware versus unaware actions. Borrowing from the field of perceptual...
Over the past two decades, ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant, especially among patients with treatment-resistant depression. As an N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine has reshaped the understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of depression treatment. Ketamine induces a transient state of enhanced neuroplasticity and likely...
Abstract Western ontology, from Parmenides to Heidegger, has been persistently fixated on the question of "Being" (Was ist das Seiende?), thereby neglecting the formal mechanisms governing the survival and collapse of meaning-systems. This paper argues for a fundamental reorientation: the foundational question of philosophy should shift from "What is Being?" to "What conditions make the...
The psychedelic renaissance has now lasted longer than the first wave of medical research in the 1950s and 60 s. Despite growing scientific and cultural interest, fundamental questions remain regarding the nature of subjective experience and its role in therapeutic outcomes. This article revisits a neglected yet significant aspect of psychedelic phenomenology: birth—or rebirth—experiences....
Early-onset psychosis and anorexia nervosa, while traditionally conceptualised as distinct disorders, demonstrate significant clinical overlap, particularly during adolescence. This period of profound bodily and identity transformation is a critical window where both conditions can emerge, sometimes with complex, overlapping symptoms. However, existing explanatory frameworks often fail to...
Serotonergic psychedelics induce profound alterations in consciousness, giving rise to an altered state commonly referred to as the psychedelic state. The entropic brain hypothesis proposes that brain entropy (i.e., the degree of uncertainty in the distribution of brain states) is elevated during the psychedelic state, as well as in other states characterized by an expanded breadth of...
Ketamine analogues are emerging dissociative substances structurally related to ketamine and increasingly detected on drug markets worldwide. This study aimed to characterize patterns of use, user profiles, and associated health outcomes in France. We conducted a retrospective analysis of cases involving ketamine analogues reported to the French Addictovigilance Network up to 31 December 2024....
Psychedelic and substance-assisted therapies are attracting renewed scientific, clinical, and public interest as potential interventions for mental health disorders, particularly treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. However, as the field moves from early efficacy trials toward clinical implementation, major questions remain regarding...