PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
December 1, 2023
Simon G D Ruffell, Max Crosland-Wood, Rob Palmer et al.
37 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant brew from the Amazon made from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a DMT-containing plant like Psychotria viridis, has attracted growing interest since the year 2000. This review covers its history, pharmacology, and the phenomenological responses it produces. Anecdotal reports range from positive to accounts of physical and psychological harm. The authors discuss effects on personality and mental health, and examine phenomenological analyses of the experience. They conclude that ayahuasca is a promising psychedelic agent deserving more empirical research into its neurochemical mechanisms and potential therapeutic use.
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
September 1, 2023
Chisato Tanaka, Kenta Wakaizumi, Akira Ninomiya et al.
3 citations
Among graduates of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who continued regular mindfulness practice reported lower depression and higher resilience, overall health, and mental health compared to those who did not practice. The degree of perceived stress from the pandemic did not differ statistically between the groups. The effect of mindfulness practice on reducing depression was fully mediated by resilience. The findings suggest that maintaining mindfulness practice after an MBI builds resilience, which helps buffer against new stressors and may prevent depression.
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
September 1, 2025
Itsuki Terao, Takahiro Tsuge, Tomoo Sato et al.
2 citations
A network meta-analysis of 35 randomized controlled trials involving 2109 participants compared electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), intravenous racemic ketamine, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment-resistant depression. No significant differences emerged in response rate, remission rate, or tolerability among the three treatments. Intravenous ketamine showed significantly higher acceptability than rTMS and ECT. The confidence in the evidence for efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability was very low, largely due to small-study bias. The authors suggest that both ketamine and rTMS may be viable alternatives to ECT, but caution that larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
September 1, 2024
Jaylyn Thompson, David F Lo, Alexis Foschini et al.
1 citation
A review of eight randomized controlled trials examined whether ketamine given during or after cesarean section can reduce postpartum depression. Some trials found that women who received ketamine had lower scores on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale shortly after delivery—for example, one trial reported a significantly lower score on day 4—while two other trials found no significant difference at 3 days postpartum. The review suggests that ketamine may help prevent or lessen postpartum depression symptoms after cesarean section, but more research is needed to clarify the relationship between dosage and effect.
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
December 1, 2025
Fumiya Miyano, Nobuyuki Mitsui, Yutaka Fujii et al.
A woman in her 50s with no prior psychiatric history developed possession-like symptoms—trance states, altered voices, and personality changes—after a fortune-teller told her that her misfortunes were caused by the spirit of her aborted child. She was hospitalized involuntarily. Medical tests were normal. Her symptoms fluctuated with spiritual contact and included mutism, rigidity, and somatic complaints. Psychosocial stressors such as marital discord and caregiving burden were identified. Treatment with family psychoeducation, occupational therapy, and low-dose psychotropics (tandospirone and zolpidem) led to gradual stabilization. She voluntarily stopped spiritual practices and was discharged after 62 days with sustained recovery. This case illustrates a modern example of Kitousei-Seishinbyo, a culture-bound syndrome first described in 1915, triggered by a fortune-teller.
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
December 1, 2025
Akihiro Koreki, Masataka Kaji, Hiroki Oi et al.
A patient with schizophrenia denied his original name, referred to himself by a female name, and believed he had a female body, consistent with reverse intermetamorphosis, a subtype of delusional misidentification of the self. He also experienced Capgras delusion involving his parents and described being controlled by an external agent who bore his original name. These symptoms suggest that a marked disruption of the sense of agency, along with delusional compensatory mechanisms, may contribute to profound psychological changes in the self. Bodily alterations and comorbid Capgras delusion may further disturb the sense of self, with a delusional agent dominating the original sense of agency and generating a unified self centered on that agent.