Social cognitive and affective neuroscience
January 31, 2026
Carla Soares, Gisela Lima, Marta Teixeira et al.
1 citation
A pharmacoimaging study examined how ayahuasca affects a brain region involved in social perception, the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), which is part of the third visual pathway. Twelve healthy volunteers received two doses of ayahuasca (0.5 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg DMT) or a placebo in a crossover design. The higher dose increased connectivity of the right pSTS with visual and mirror-neuron brain regions. This enhanced connectivity correlated with stronger perspective-taking experiences. Participants also reported improved social relationships one week later, even though acute effects were minimal. The findings suggest ayahuasca strengthens early social information processing through the third visual pathway and mirror-neuron systems, offering a basis for its prosocial therapeutic effects.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
January 23, 2026
B Romeo, E Kervadec, B Fauvel et al.
1 citation
The intensity of a psychedelic experience, which is linked to clinical benefits, depends on multiple factors. In an online survey of 804 people, stronger altered states of consciousness were reported when the experience was intended for spiritual, therapeutic, or self-exploratory purposes rather than recreation; when dissociative or serotonergic psychedelics were used instead of entactogens; and with moderate to very high doses compared to very low doses. Age and gender also played a role. The findings suggest that experiential intensity arises from a combination of pharmacological, personal, and contextual elements, and that similarities with mystical experiences may point to a shared neurobiological sensitivity rather than a unique category of experience.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
January 20, 2026
Tibor Markus Brunt
2 citations
Ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid, reduces craving and withdrawal symptoms in opioid and cocaine-dependent individuals through multiple pharmacological mechanisms, as shown by observational, open-label, and limited randomized placebo-controlled trials. However, it poses a rare but clinically significant cardiotoxic risk: QTc prolongation and potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias like Torsades des Pointes, which have occurred at therapeutic doses even in people without pre-existing cardiac conditions. Large interindividual variability in CYP2D6 metabolism may increase cardiovascular risk for some. Recent safety efforts include different dosing, cardiovascular monitoring, and developing ibogaine analogues that retain anti-addictive effects without cardiotoxicity in preclinical models. Future treatment should occur under controlled medical supervision with CYP2D6 genotyping and rigorous cardiac monitoring.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2026
Gláucio Silva Camargos, Geraldo Magela De Faria Júnior, Marcelo Lourenço et al.
Over six months, depressive symptoms decreased significantly in 280 adults with depressive, anxiety, or substance use disorders after ritualistic ayahuasca use combined with psychotherapeutic support. Scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale dropped shortly after the intervention and remained lower for up to 180 days, though individual responses varied. The findings suggest that ayahuasca-assisted therapy can reduce depression and anxiety and may help treat substance dependence. Variability in outcomes indicates that psychodynamic factors, including integration of the psychedelic experience and ongoing therapeutic support, are crucial for effectiveness. The work supports developing personalized psychedelic-assisted treatment protocols for complex psychiatric conditions.
HCI International 2025 – Late Breaking Papers
January 1, 2026
Maria Laura Mele, Hans Rutrecht
A review of literature from 2014 to 2024 examines how virtual reality can induce, modulate, and assess altered states of consciousness. Four methodological fields are analyzed: clinical and therapeutic research, cognitive science and neurophysiology, immersive technology and human-computer interaction, and psychological and phenomenological evaluation. VR-mediated altered states can be systematically evaluated through multimodal techniques, but the review reveals significant methodological inconsistencies, including a lack of standardization in experimental designs, variability in measurement tools, and limited interdisciplinary integration. The authors call for a standardized methodological framework to enable replicable assessment of VR-induced altered states.
Neuroscience of consciousness
January 1, 2026
James W Sanders, Raphaël Millière, Ema Demšar et al.
The psychedelic compound DMT induces highly immersive experiences that often include encounters with seemingly sentient presences. Using micro-phenomenology, immersion under DMT was characterized as a structured continuum from subtle to gross forms. Twenty-three participants received 20 mg intravenous DMT during fMRI-EEG, followed by detailed interviews. Analysis yielded 125 phenomenological categories describing structural dimensions like sensory faculties, spatial organization, and self-world configuration. Bodily effects typically preceded visual and auditory ones, and perceived presences emerged only after multisensory integration and 3D spatial characteristics had developed, illustrating a hierarchical relationship between subtle and gross immersion. Perceived presences varied widely in sensory modality, semantic complexity, and relational mode, showing immersion as a dynamic, constructive process.