Current neuropharmacology
April 28, 2026
Hongshuang Wang, Xiaobing Li, Feng Yu et al.
Combining psychedelics with music in therapy may improve mental health outcomes by acting on specific brain mechanisms. Psychedelics like psilocybin activate 5-HT2A receptors and BDNF-TrkB signaling, increase neural plasticity, and desynchronize the default mode network, while music guides emotional processing and amplifies psychological insights. This synergy shows promise for treating depression, PTSD, and addiction. The review provides a mechanistic framework for understanding these interactions and identifies neurobiological targets for optimizing future therapeutic protocols.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
April 15, 2026
Can Chen
The awakening state, defined as a shift from Default Mode Network dominance to second-order observation, is characterized by specific neurophysiological patterns distinct from drug-induced sedation. Clinical EEG data from a single subject off anxiolytics for over six years showed increased background fast-wave activity (15-22 Hz) with low amplitude (5-15 μV) across all leads and immediate alpha rhythm suppression upon eye-opening. These findings indicate that awakening involves high alertness, low internal friction, and high acuity, providing physiological evidence that conscious awakening is a unique neurophysiological mode rather than sedation.
Preprints.org
April 7, 2026
Luis Miguel Gallardo
preprint
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) are a universal human capacity for accessing and transforming the subconscious mind, employed through diverse contemplative, somatic, pharmacological, ritual, and technological modalities. This review synthesizes evidence from over 25 disciplines, finding converging neurobiological mechanisms including default mode network suppression, autonomic regulation, and neuroplasticity. Clinical evidence is strongest for MDMA-assisted therapy in PTSD (67% response rate in Phase 3 RCTs), psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (60-70% response), EMDR for trauma, mindfulness for depression relapse and anxiety, and neurofeedback for ADHD and anxiety. Transpersonal modalities like Life Between Lives hypnotherapy show preliminary evidence for existential distress but lack rigorous controlled trials. The review proposes an integrative framework positioning ASC as a spectrum from subconscious to superconscious, with diverse modalities as complementary vehicles for consciousness transformation.
Human Brain Mapping
April 1, 2026
Paweł Orłowski, Aleksandra Domagalik, Michał Bola
People who have used classic psychedelics many times (at least 10 lifetime uses) recognize angry facial expressions more quickly and accurately than nonusers, indicating enhanced processing of threat-related cues. In an fMRI study comparing 33 experienced psychedelic users with 34 matched nonusers, users showed reduced brain activation to angry faces in key limbic and salience network regions, along with heightened responses to happy expressions in parietal and sensorimotor cortices and increased precuneus activation to fearful expressions. Reduced differentiation between emotional categories appeared in two default mode network nodes. These neurofunctional changes suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use modulates emotional processing in ways that complement findings from clinical settings.