Quality in Sport
June 20, 2026
Arkadiusz Adam Psiuk
Motor learning in sports benefits from both physical practice and sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Waking motor imagery engages brain networks similar to actual movement, while slow-wave sleep and REM sleep support procedural memory through neural replay. Lucid dreaming—awareness during sleep—may allow mental rehearsal that partially reactivates prefrontal regions and shows physiological correlates of dreamed movement. Preliminary evidence suggests lucid dream practice can improve waking performance comparably to waking mental practice. It offers a low-physical-load tool for rehabilitation, tapering, and pre-competition stress management, though low lucid dream frequency, variable induction reliability, and few controlled trials in elite athletes call for cautious use.
Quality in Sport
April 5, 2026
Magdalena Ostaszewska, Milena Majchrzyk, Damian Zienkiewicz et al.
MDMA, a stimulant drug used recreationally for its mood-enhancing effects, can cause cognitive dysfunction, emotional dysregulation, and life-threatening hyperthermia with prolonged misuse. Despite these dangers, research indicates MDMA may become a valuable therapeutic adjunct for treating psychiatric conditions including PTSD, alcohol dependence, depression, and anxiety, and may also benefit athletic populations. Existing studies are limited by small sample sizes, underscoring the need for further large-scale research to confirm these findings.
Quality in Sport
April 2, 2026
Milena Majchrzyk, Weronika Walendziak, Magdalena Ostaszewska et al.
Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid from the Tabernanthe iboga plant, shows promise for reducing withdrawal and cravings in opioid, cocaine, and alcohol use disorders by modulating serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate systems. However, serious safety risks, especially cardiotoxicity with QT prolongation and potentially fatal arrhythmias, limit its use. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to better assess its efficacy and safety.
Quality in Sport
January 31, 2026
Anna Maria Komarczewska, Filip Matusiak, Klaudia Brzoza et al.
Psilocybin-assisted interventions produce rapid reductions in depressive symptoms that can persist for months, including six-month outcomes in treatment-resistant depression protocols with psychological support. Convergent evidence from animal studies shows structural synaptic remodeling in frontal cortex and hippocampal plasticity changes in extinction learning paradigms. Human neuroimaging reveals altered large-scale brain dynamics after psilocybin. These findings support neuroplasticity as a biologically plausible mechanism linking transient serotonergic receptor activation to sustained clinical improvement.
Quality in Sport
January 26, 2026
Adam Wolski, Ewa Szplit, Mikołaj Franciszek Patalong et al.
Psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine, show promise for treating psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, PTSD, substance use disorders, and anxiety. Psilocybin produces robust antidepressant effects, reduces anxiety, and benefits substance use disorders after limited dosing sessions. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy yields high remission rates in PTSD. LSD shows promising effects for anxiety and substance use disorders. Ketamine provides rapid antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects in depression and potential benefits in addiction and anxiety, though results in PTSD are mixed. Risks require careful screening and clinical oversight, but evidence supports psychedelic-assisted therapies as adjunctive or alternative interventions for selected patients.
Quality in Sport
July 28, 2024
Weronika Szafrańska, Dominika Poborowska, Tomasz Gańko et al.
Ketamine, a drug long used in anesthesiology, shows potential for treating drug-resistant depression. Its effectiveness depends on form and dosage, with racemic and higher doses offering greater benefits. Ketamine's efficacy is comparable to electroconvulsive therapy, and its antidepressant effects begin faster than traditional medications, reducing suicide risk more quickly. The mechanisms are not fully understood, but effects on brain neuroplasticity may contribute to the rapid action. Growing evidence supports ketamine's use for treatment-resistant depression, leading to FDA approval of esketamine for this purpose in 2019.