PeerJ
December 6, 2016
Vanja Dakic, Renata de Moraes Maciel, Hannah Drummond et al.
86 citations
Harmine, the main alkaloid in Ayahuasca, increased the pool of proliferating human neural progenitor cells by 71.5% after four days of treatment. Testing harmine analogs showed that a DYRK1A inhibitor (INDY) but not a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (pargyline) similarly boosted proliferation, suggesting harmine acts through DYRK1A inhibition. This mechanism may underlie both harmine's effects on neural cell growth and its reported antidepressant effects.
PeerJ
January 19, 2017
Nashmiah Aid Alrashedy, Jeanmaire Molina
39 citations
Psychoactive plants evolved chemicals as allelochemicals that also affect human neuronal receptors, altering perception, emotion, and cognition. A phylogenetic analysis of culturally diverse psychoactive plant taxa reveals multiple evolutionary origins of psychoactive families. Families such as Myristicaceae, Papaveraceae, Cactaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae, Lamiaceae, and Apocynaceae contain a disproportionate number of psychoactive genera, with different indigenous groups using geographically separate members for the same psychoactive effect—an example of cultural convergence. Hallucinogenic and sedative traits are phylogenetically conserved within families, and unrelated families with similar psychoactive effects modulate similar neurotransmitter systems (mechanistic convergence). Stimulant mechanisms are more evolutionarily labile. Chemically similar psychoactive compounds in unrelated lineages suggest convergent evolution or differential gene regulation. These findings motivate pharmacological investigation into psychoactive plants as modern therapeutics for neurological disorders.
PeerJ
January 1, 2019
Daniel Kondziella, Jens P Dreier, Markus Harboe Olsen
34 citations
Near-death experiences are reported by 10% of a large, diverse sample of 1,034 lay people from 35 countries. People who have such experiences are more likely to also show signs of REM sleep intrusion: 47% of those with near-death experiences had REM intrusion, compared with 26% of those who had unusual experiences that did not meet the threshold for a near-death experience and 14% of those with no such experiences. This link remained strong after adjusting for age, gender, location, employment, and perceived danger; people with REM intrusion were nearly three times as likely to report a near-death experience.
PeerJ
January 1, 2020
Sylvie Droit-Volet, Sophie Monceau, Michaël Dambrun et al.
17 citations
People who experienced an out-of-body illusion in virtual reality judged time intervals as longer when they felt a stronger sense of body ownership over a mannequin. Participants viewed a mannequin's arm as if it were their own while receiving synchronous or asynchronous strokes on their actual body. After synchronous stroking, they felt touches on the mannequin more intensely and estimated the interval between two touches as longer. The more pronounced the out-of-body experience, the greater the time distortion. These results suggest that awareness of the body-self is important for time perception, supporting the theory of embodied time.
PeerJ
January 1, 2019
Daniel Kondziella, Markus Harboe Olsen, Coline L Lemale et al.
17 citations
People who experience migraine with aura are more than twice as likely to report a near-death experience (NDE) as those without migraine aura. In a sample of 1,037 adults from 35 countries, 13.0% of those with migraine aura reported an NDE compared to 6.1% of those without, an odds ratio of 2.33 after adjusting for age and gender. This association indirectly supports the idea that NDEs involve rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusion, a feature also linked to migraine with aura. The finding may relate to spreading depolarization, a brain wave pattern that occurs both in migraine aura and at the end of life.
PeerJ
January 1, 2024
Wencong Kan, Fan Huang, Menglin Xu et al.
12 citations
Psychological distress harms life satisfaction among Chinese college students, but physical literacy and mindfulness help. In a survey of 653 students from six universities in three Chinese cities, structural equation modeling showed that the model explained 36% of the variation in life satisfaction. Physical literacy and mindfulness partially mediated the link between psychological distress and life satisfaction, meaning they reduced the negative impact. The findings suggest that interventions targeting physical literacy and mindfulness practices may effectively enhance well-being and alleviate psychological distress in this population.
PeerJ
January 1, 2022
Alessandro M Varani, Saura R Silva, Simone Lopes et al.
7 citations
The chloroplast genome of Psychotria viridis, a shrub used in the traditional ayahuasca brew, is 154,106 base pairs long and contains the full set of genes typical of flowering plants. Its mitochondrial genome has a complex structure with at least two alternative circular forms, one 615,370 and the other 570,344 base pairs, and shows evidence of heteroplasmy—the presence of multiple mitochondrial genome variants within an individual. Most mitochondrial genes are present, but several are pseudogenes or missing entirely. Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes across the Rubiaceae family reveals generally conserved structures with minor variations at junction regions. These findings provide foundational genomic resources for this species and may support conservation efforts.
PeerJ
June 3, 2024
Mengyang Xu, Haifei Shi, Andor J. Kiss et al.
5 citations
Psilocybin and related tryptamines, currently studied as potential antidepressants, may work partly through the gut microbiome. In a preliminary experiment, male Long Evans rats received oral psilocybin (0.2 or 2 mg/kg), norbaeocystin (0.25 or 2.52 mg/kg), or a vehicle. Fecal samples collected 1 and 3 weeks later showed that neither drug significantly altered overall microbiome diversity, but both caused dose- and time-dependent shifts in bacterial abundance at the phylum level—increases in Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria, and decreases in Proteobacteria. These findings suggest a novel peripheral mechanism for tryptamine antidepressant activity and indicate norbaeocystin may warrant further investigation.
PeerJ
January 1, 2025
Asaf Weisman, Tomer Yona, Youssef Masharawi
4 citations
Healthcare professionals with chronic pain, despite specialized knowledge of pain neuroscience and experience with cognitive-based interventions like pain neuroscience education, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, and mindfulness, did not report lower pain intensity than other groups. Pain intensity scores were similar between those with primary chronic pain (4.24) and secondary chronic pain (4.37). Quality of life was initially lower in professionals with chronic pain compared to healthy colleagues, but this difference disappeared after accounting for familiarity with interventions. Among healthy professionals who had recovered from chronic pain, only 11% attributed recovery to cognitive-based interventions, while most credited physical therapy (37.7%) or spontaneous recovery (32.9%). These results challenge theoretical models that cognitive engagement with pain concepts reduces pain intensity.
PeerJ
January 1, 2025
Xinjian Xu, Borhannudin Bin Abdullah, Shamsulariffin Bin Samsudin et al.
3 citations
Mindful movement interventions—structured programs that combine mindfulness with physical activity such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong—significantly reduce anxiety and depression in university students. A meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials with 1,697 participants found that these interventions lowered anxiety (standardized mean difference = -0.42) and depression (standardized mean difference = -0.61) compared to control groups. The effects did not differ significantly across yoga, tai chi, or qigong, supporting treating mindful movement as a unified approach. Some heterogeneity remained, indicating a need for further research on specific intervention elements and participant factors.
PeerJ
January 1, 2025
Polycarpe Bagereka, Rezvan Ameli, Ninet Sinaii et al.
Nature-based programs can improve overall wellbeing among healthcare workers who experienced stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, and adding an audio-based mindfulness intervention may enhance those benefits. In a study of 78 healthcare workers randomized to a nature-only retreat, a combined nature-and-mindfulness program, or a control group, wellbeing scores increased in both intervention groups compared to the control. The combined group maintained improvements at follow-up better than the nature-only group. However, neither intervention reduced perceived stress, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale. The authors note the study had diminished power and call for further research.