Scientific Reports
February 7, 2024
Broc A. Pagni, Petros Petridis, Samantha K. Podrebarac et al.
30 citations
In a small pilot study, patients with alcohol use disorder underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after receiving either psilocybin or diphenhydramine. Psilocybin increased activity in the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex and left caudate, while decreasing activity in the insular, motor, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices, and cerebellum. For negative emotional cues, psilocybin increased supramarginal gyrus activity; for positive cues, it increased right hippocampus activity and decreased left hippocampus activity. These brain changes suggest enhanced goal-directed action, improved emotional regulation, and diminished craving, but larger studies are needed to confirm the neural mechanisms of psilocybin-assisted therapy.
Scientific Reports
March 16, 2021
Isaac Cohen, Tigran Makunts, Ruben Abagyan et al.
30 citations
Using FDA drug safety surveillance data, nearly one thousand reports of MDMA use were analyzed to evaluate risks of death when MDMA is taken alone or with other medications. Several drug classes—including MDMA metabolites or analogs, anesthetics, muscle relaxants, amphetamines and stimulants, benzodiazepines, ethanol, and opioids—along with the antidepressants bupropion, sertraline, venlafaxine, and citalopram, and the antipsychotic olanzapine, showed increased odds ratios for reported risk of death. The authors call for future clinical trials to assess whether these drug–drug interactions pose actual harm in controlled medical settings.
Scientific Reports
January 1, 2020
Shogo Kajimura, Naoki Masuda, Johnny King L. Lau et al.
29 citations
Focused attention meditation reorganizes the brain's large-scale functional networks, not just individual connections. Using intensive daily measurements from one person, the study found that meditation changed which brain regions belong to which network: several regions from the fronto-parietal network (FPN) moved into the default mode network (DMN) after meditation, and the FPN's network membership became less stable. This suggests meditation reshapes whole-brain network architecture, offering insight into its neural mechanisms.
Scientific Reports
September 22, 2023
Hanna Molla, Royce Lee, Sonja Lyubomirsky et al.
28 citations
Both MDMA and methamphetamine increase feelings of connectedness during casual conversations with an unfamiliar partner, and both drugs raise oxytocin levels. However, only after MDMA are oxytocin levels linked to feeling closer to the partner. The study involved 18 participants given MDMA or placebo and 19 given methamphetamine or placebo. These results reveal a new aspect of MDMA's pro-social effects and show that methamphetamine produces a similar behavioral effect, though through a different biological pathway.
Scientific Reports
February 16, 2021
Catherine Duclos, Danielle Nadin, Yacine Mahdid et al.
28 citations
Three-node network motifs—recurring patterns of connections—reorganize in the brain during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness and recovery. In nine healthy volunteers undergoing a 3-hour anesthesia protocol, electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in the alpha band (8–13 Hz) showed that two specific motifs (motifs 1 and 5) changed their topology significantly between responsive and unresponsive states. Motif 1 consisted of long-range chain-like connections, while motif 5 comprised short-range loop-like connections. The topological reorganization of motif 5 preceded the return of responsiveness, and motif 1 accompanied it, suggesting these motifs may help reveal neural correlates of consciousness.
Scientific Reports
February 14, 2022
Johannes G. Ramaekers, Natasha L. Mason, Stefan W. Toennes et al.
26 citations
Acute cannabis intoxication and chronic cannabis use produce distinct patterns of altered connectivity across the whole brain, not just in isolated regions. Using ultra-high field (7T) resting state fMRI scans of 26 cannabis users under placebo and after vaporizing cannabis, two data-driven methods revealed that chronic users showed broad hyperconnectivity across major brain networks compared to occasional users, suggesting adaptive network reorganization from prolonged exposure. A separate spatial pattern—hypoconnectivity in dorsal attention, limbic, subcortical, and cerebellum networks combined with hyperconnectivity between the default mode and ventral attention network—was linked to the subjective feeling of being high during acute intoxication. These whole-brain approaches distinguish short- from long-term cannabis effects and may help probe the transition from occasional to chronic use.
Scientific Reports
June 15, 2022
Meghan Hibicke, Charles D. Nichols
25 citations
Psilocybin shows antidepressant-like effects in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) using a forced swim test (FST) adapted for flies. The fly FST was first validated with methamphetamine, DL-α-methyltyrosine, and the antidepressant citalopram. Methamphetamine and DL-α-methyltyrosine altered overall locomotor activity but did not significantly affect immobility measures in the FST, while chronic citalopram decreased immobility without increasing activity. Using the validated FST, both a high (3.5 mM) and low (0.03 mM) dose of psilocybin significantly reduced immobility in male flies but not females. The low dose had an effect size comparable to chronic citalopram, and the high dose had an effect size approximately twice that of chronic citalopram.
Scientific Reports
March 13, 2019
Emily Ridge, Sudhan Pachhain, S. Choudhury et al.
25 citations
The gut microbiome and TGR5 bile acid receptors contribute to the life-threatening hyperthermia caused by MDMA. Male rats given antibiotics to reduce gut bacteria showed a weaker hyperthermic response to MDMA. MDMA increased expression of uncoupling protein 1 and TGR5 in brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, and UCP3 in skeletal muscle; antibiotics blunted these increases. Blocking TGR5 with triamterene or deiodinase II with iopanoic acid also reduced MDMA-induced hyperthermia. MDMA enriched a Proteus mirabilis strain in the ceca of rats not given antibiotics. The findings suggest gut microbiota play a role in MDMA-mediated hyperthermia and that MDMA rapidly alters gut microbiome composition.
Scientific Reports
February 7, 2024
Tommaso Barba, Hannes Kettner, Caterina Radu et al.
24 citations
Psychedelics may improve sexual functioning and satisfaction days or weeks after use, according to two studies. In a large naturalistic study, people who used psychedelics reported greater pleasure, communication during sex, and satisfaction with their partner and appearance. A controlled clinical trial comparing psilocybin therapy with the SSRI escitalopram for depression found that those given psilocybin reported positive changes in sexual functioning after treatment, while those given escitalopram did not. This is the first quantitative investigation of psychedelics' post-acute effects on sexual functioning, suggesting a potential benefit and a need for further research.
Scientific Reports
September 22, 2023
Victor Oswald, Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Jitka Annen et al.
24 citations
Self-induced cognitive trance (SICT) is a voluntary non-ordinary state of consciousness involving narrowed awareness, hyper-focused immersion, and altered perception. This study examined autonomic nervous system changes during SICT by measuring heart rate variability and respiration rate variability in 25 proficient participants across three conditions: resting state, SICT, and a mental imagery task. During SICT, participants showed increased heart rate, decreased high-frequency heart rate variability, and specific increases in respiratory amplitude, phase ratio, and respiration rate variability compared to control conditions. These findings suggest SICT is associated with reduced parasympathetic activity, indicating a hyperarousal state of the autonomic nervous system.
Scientific Reports
July 23, 2021
Alexander V. Lebedev, Kasim Acar, Benjamín Garzón et al.
19 citations
Psychedelic drug use shows only a weak association with psychosis-like symptoms, largely explained by psychiatric comorbidities and use of other psychoactive substances. In a study of 1,032 adults (701 healthy young adults aged 18–35), psychedelic users had slightly higher schizotypy scores, but the effect was small and not significant after controlling for other drug use. Experimental testing in 39 subjects found that greater lifetime psychedelic exposure was linked to better evidence integration and heightened fear responses to instructed knowledge in a learning task, suggesting possible therapeutic effects on flexibility and aversive learning in non-psychotic populations.
Scientific Reports
December 9, 2020
Timo Torsten Schmidt, Simon Reiche, Caroline L. C. Hage et al.
12 citations
Kambô, the secretion of the Amazonian Giant Leaf Frog, contains many bioactive peptides and was traditionally used by indigenous Amazonian communities as medicine to improve hunting. In Western urban healing circles, its use has spread over the past 20 years. This retrospective study assessed psychological effects in 22 anonymous users using standardized questionnaires for altered states of consciousness. Acute effects were mild to moderate, with no psychedelic-type perceptual or thinking distortions. Persisting effects were predominantly positive, with high scores on personal and spiritual significance.
Scientific Reports
January 12, 2018
Kim P. C. Kuypers, Rafael de la Torre, Magı́ Farré et al.
12 citations
MDMA's mood effects depend partly on a genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). People with the short variant of this gene typically show more anxiety and negative mood, while those with two long alleles (l-group) tend to be less anxious. In a pooled analysis of four placebo-controlled studies with 63 polydrug ecstasy users, MDMA (75 mg) generally improved mood but also increased anxiety and confusion. Unexpectedly, the l-group reported higher anxiety regardless of MDMA or placebo. MDMA reduced depressive feelings only in females from the l-group, suggesting a sex- and genotype-dependent effect.
Scientific Reports
June 10, 2024
Jussi Jylkkä, Andreas Krabbe, Patrick Jern
11 citations
A cross-sectional internet survey of 701 people who had used classical psychedelics probed their metaphysical beliefs with a new 42-item questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed two main belief clusters: Idealism and Materialism. Idealism was linked to psychological insight from a past psychedelic experience and to average psychedelic use, and it predicted wellbeing. Mediation analyses showed an indirect path from past psychedelic use through Idealism to wellbeing, but not through non-physicalist beliefs generally or through Materialism. The findings suggest that Idealism specifically, rather than non-physicalist beliefs broadly, may mediate the association between psychedelic use and wellbeing, though causality remains unestablished.
Scientific Reports
October 24, 2025
Ling Yut Hooi, Po Ling Chen, Kok Wei Tan et al.
9 citations
Mindfulness meditation is an umbrella term for mental practices that are easy to learn across age, gender, ethnicity, and health conditions. Mindfulness involves conscious awareness of the present moment, attention, and openness. Five specific mindfulness breathing meditation techniques—4-4-4-4 breathing, Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Nadishodhan, and Bhramari Pranayama—have shown beneficial effects on mental health and cognitive functions. However, the effects of combining these five techniques on perceived stress and cognition have not yet been studied. A combined approach may offer more comprehensive benefits, increase engagement, and reduce boredom, especially for beginners.
Scientific Reports
October 18, 2024
Amit Olami, Leehe Peled‐avron
9 citations
Classic psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and ayahuasca enhance emotional empathy—both explicit and implicit—but do not affect cognitive empathy, according to a meta-analysis of studies up to November 2023. Empathy, the ability to understand and share others' feelings, is crucial for social interaction. The analysis used the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) to measure these effects. The findings suggest a specific role for psychedelics in boosting emotional empathy, highlighting their potential therapeutic value for conditions involving social functioning.
Scientific Reports
August 2, 2024
Jennifer Mitchell, Nicky J. Mehtani, Mallory O. Johnson et al.
9 citations
HIV-related shame predicts substance use and poor antiretroviral adherence among people with HIV, hindering national epidemic-ending goals. In a pilot clinical trial with 12 participants, psilocybin-assisted group therapy produced a large decrease in HIV-related shame, with a median reduction of 5.5 points on the HIV and Abuse Related Shame Inventory from baseline to 3-month follow-up. However, two participants experienced a paradoxical worsening of sexual abuse-related shame after psilocybin, raising concerns about its use in patients with trauma. These preliminary results suggest potential for addressing HIV-related shame but highlight cautions.
Scientific Reports
September 30, 2023
Alexander V. Lebedev, Kasim Acar, Otilia Horntvedt et al.
9 citations
People who have used psychedelics are moderately more likely to endorse alternative facts and to believe that facts are politically influenced, compared with people who have never used them. This association held after accounting for demographics, psychiatric conditions, and other drug use. No link was found between psychedelic use and preferring intuition over evidence when verifying facts. Among other drugs examined, only alcohol showed a negative association with belief in alternative facts. The findings suggest that psychedelic use correlates with non-conformist thinking styles, which may stem from the drugs' psychological effects or from a shared trait predisposing people to unconventional beliefs and illicit substance use.
Scientific Reports
September 11, 2023
José Carlos Bouso, Dóra Révész, Genís Ona et al.
9 citations
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, a longitudinal transcultural study surveyed English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking participants about sociodemographics, lifestyle, COVID-19 circumstances, and drug use, emphasizing hallucinogenic drugs. Users of hallucinogenic drugs reported higher psychological well-being and lower scores on psychopathology scales at baseline and follow-ups, with regular users showing even larger differences. Among those with more psychological distress, regular hallucinogen users had higher scores for post-traumatic growth. Results varied across cultural contexts, with more English-speaking regular users. The findings suggest a potential role for hallucinogens in promoting post-traumatic growth during large-scale catastrophes.
Scientific Reports
March 1, 2023
Paweł Orłowski, Michał Bola
9 citations
Greater meaningfulness of visual stimuli is linked to higher Lempel–Ziv diversity of EEG signals, but the opposite effect occurs for auditory stimuli. Visual perception generally produces higher EEG diversity than auditory perception. Compared to resting state, meaningful visual stimuli increase EEG diversity while meaningful auditory stimuli decrease it. These findings show that brain signal diversity depends on the sensory modality being stimulated, so it cannot serve as a generic measure of the variability of conscious experience.
Scientific Reports
April 22, 2024
Oleh Durydivka, Petr Palivec, Matej Gazdarica et al.
7 citations
Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) activates cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in ways only broadly comparable to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), with each HHC epimer showing unique signaling properties. HHC's greater chemical stability than Δ9-THC makes it a potential candidate for modern medicine. The study examined the pharmacodynamics of HHC epimers and their activation of CB1R-mediated signaling pathways, comparing them to those activated by Δ9-THC.
Scientific Reports
November 27, 2025
Guy Simon, Nir Tadmor, Michael Skragge et al.
6 citations
A mixed-methods investigation of 608 individuals who experienced post-psychedelic difficulties found that 41.8% linked these difficulties to early trauma. Those reporting trauma-related difficulties were older, more often female, more likely to have a prior mental-illness diagnosis, and more likely to use psychedelics in guided settings. They reported more emotional but fewer perceptual difficulties. Interviews with 18 participants revealed four themes: direct trauma re-experiencing (39%, including some with no prior memory), symbolic/somatic re-embodiment (22%), fragmentation and confusion (50%), and varied post-experience trajectories (50% positive integration, 28% mixed, 22% re-traumatization). Uncertainty about memory veridicality caused ongoing distress. The work underscores the need for trauma-informed psychedelic practices.
Scientific Reports
November 6, 2025
Isaac N. Treves, Ya‐Yun Chen, Caitlyn L. Wilson et al.
5 citations
A meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials with 2,191 participants found that mindfulness-based interventions produce a small-to-medium improvement in self-reported interoceptive awareness (g = 0.31). Mindfulness-based programs showed the largest effects (g = 0.41). Improvements in interoception were similar in size to improvements in self-reported mindfulness and were linked to reductions in psychological distress. No evidence of publication bias was detected, and no other factors such as practice dosage or clinical sample significantly moderated the results. These findings suggest mindfulness interventions can positively alter how people subjectively experience bodily sensations, which may contribute to better mental health.
Scientific Reports
August 1, 2022
Julián Padró, Diego de Panis, Pierre Luisi et al.
5 citations
Shamanism, likely the oldest religion, has shaped human evolution through the use of psychoactive plants. In indigenous Andean populations with a long history of shamanic practices, genes involved in alkaloid tolerance, xenobiotic metabolism, and neuronal plasticity show signatures of recent positive selection. This was identified by first studying the cactophilic fly Drosophila buzzatii, which feeds on a hallucinogenic columnar cactus also consumed by humans, to find ortholog genes linked to alkaloid adaptation. The findings suggest a process of gene-culture coevolution driven by religious practices, indicating that cultural traditions like shamanism can leave genomic footprints.
Scientific Reports
May 2, 2024
Sucharit Katyal, Oussama Abdoun, Hugues Mounier et al.
4 citations
Long-term meditators in an open monitoring (OM) state show reduced automatic mental processing of objects that imply actions, compared to their baseline state. Novice meditators did not show this reduction. The study used EEG to measure µ-rhythm desynchronization, which correlated with how long objects were perceived. The findings suggest OM meditation can help decouple automatic cognitive processing of action-related mental content.