Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
March 1, 2008
Giulio Tononi, Christof Koch
615 citations
This review synthesizes recent findings on the neural correlates of consciousness, distinguishing consciousness from other brain functions. It examines global changes in consciousness during sleep, anesthesia, and seizures, then explores paradigms for studying neural correlates of specific conscious percepts, highlighting the roles of different brain regions. Dynamic aspects of neural activity—sustained versus phasic, feedforward versus reentrant, and neural synchronization—are discussed. The review also considers how theoretical analysis of consciousness's fundamental properties can complement neurobiological research.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
December 21, 2018
Heather L. Rusch, Michael Del Rosario, Lisa M. Levison et al.
496 citations
A meta-analysis of 18 trials with 1,654 participants found that mindfulness meditation interventions did not improve sleep quality compared to specific active controls (such as evidence-based sleep treatments) at posttreatment or follow-up, with low strength of evidence. However, compared to nonspecific active controls (time- or attention-matched interventions), mindfulness meditation significantly improved sleep quality at postintervention and follow-up, with moderate strength of evidence. These preliminary findings suggest mindfulness meditation may be effective for some aspects of sleep disturbance, but further research is needed.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
May 1, 2008
M. Boly, C. Phillips, L. Tshibanda et al.
396 citations
Spontaneous brain activity, measured during rest, has been proposed as a way to understand brain-behavior relationships, but its value is debated. This review argues that altered states of consciousness—such as sleep, anesthesia, coma, vegetative state, epileptic loss of consciousness, and somnambulism—offer a privileged way to study these links. Early PET studies showed that extremely low or high brain activity often accompanies unconsciousness, but this link is not absolute. Voxel-based analyses consistently found impaired associative frontoparieto-cingulate areas across altered states. Recent fMRI studies reveal structured slow neuronal oscillations and coherent BOLD patterns, especially in the default-mode network, even during unconsciousness. These patterns may reflect default brain connectivity that transcends consciousness, but their functional significance remains unclear.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
December 1, 1995
Jeffrey L. Cummings
362 citations
Frontal-subcortical circuits, originating in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex, provide a framework for understanding the anatomy, biochemistry, and pharmacology of behavior. Circuit-specific marker behaviors include executive dysfunction (dorsolateral prefrontal-subcortical circuit), disinhibition and OCD (orbitofrontal-subcortical circuit), and apathy (medial frontal-subcortical circuit). Environmental dependency is common to all prefrontal-subcortical syndromes and may reflect disruption of working memory. Depression, mania, and psychosis are circuit-related but not circuit-specific. The actions of PCP, LSD, serotonergic antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedative-hypnotics, antipsychotic agents, and ethanol may be partially or primarily mediated through transmitter systems and receptor effects expressed through frontal-subcortical circuits.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2009
Elissa S. Epel, Jennifer Daubenmier, Judith T. Moskowitz et al.
324 citations
Telomere length, a marker of cellular aging, is linked to chronic stress and depression. Psychological stress cognitions, such as threat appraisals and rumination, can prolong stress reactivity and may shorten telomeres. In contrast, mindfulness meditation shifts appraisals from threat to challenge, reduces rumination and stress arousal, and may increase positive arousal states. A review of data connects telomere length to cognitive stress and arousal, and new data links cognitive appraisal to telomere length. The authors propose that mindfulness meditation may benefit telomere maintenance by reducing cognitive stress and arousal and enhancing positive states, with ongoing trials testing this model.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 8, 2010
Bryan K. Yamamoto, Anna Moszczyńska, Gary A. Gudelsky
280 citations
Methamphetamine and MDMA cause long-lasting reductions in markers of biogenic amine neurotransmission, traditionally linked to nerve terminal damage, in rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans. Recent evidence shows damage may extend to cell bodies of various neurons and blood–brain barrier endothelial cells. The damage involves oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, ubiquitin proteasome dysfunction, and mitochondrial and neurotrophic factor impairment. These mechanisms overlap with those in chronic stress and HIV infection, both of which amplify methamphetamine toxicity. The frequent co-occurrence of substituted amphetamine abuse with HIV or chronic stress suggests increased vulnerability to neurotoxicity in these individuals.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2009
Richard P. Brown, Patricia L. Gerbarg
278 citations
Yoga breathing (pranayama) is a core practice in Indo-Tibetan traditions that can quickly bring the mind to the present moment and reduce stress. This review examines how breath work influences longevity mechanisms, with effects that both overlap with and differ from meditation, while synergistically enhancing meditation's benefits. Clinical evidence supports yoga breathing for treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and victims of mass disasters. By inducing stress resilience, breath work offers a rapid and compassionate way to relieve many forms of suffering.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 1990
Mark E. Molliver, Urs V. Berger, Laura A. Mamounas et al.
252 citations
Amphetamine derivatives such as MDA, MDMA, PCA, and fenfluramine cause serotonin (5-HT) release and acute depletion of 5-HT from most axon terminals in the forebrain. Within 36–48 hours, signs of axon degeneration appear, including swollen varicosities and fragmentation. Fine 5-HT axon terminals are persistently lost, while beaded axons and raphe cell bodies are spared, indicating differential vulnerability of two types of 5-HT axons arising from separate raphe nuclei. Over 2–8 months, progressive serotonergic re-innervation of the neocortex occurs along a fronto-occipital gradient, with longitudinal axons growing into layers I and VI before sprouting into middle layers, resembling perinatal development. It is unknown whether a normal innervation pattern is re-established.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
January 1, 2014
Zoran Josipovic
231 citations
Nondual awareness (NDA)—a background awareness that precedes conceptualization and intention—offers a way of experiencing in which habitual dualities such as self versus other are relaxed rather than fortified. Drawing on Tibetan Buddhist meditation, this paper reviews evidence that NDA influences anticorrelated intrinsic and extrinsic brain networks. Preliminary data from an ongoing study of NDA with minimized phenomenal content suggest involvement of a precuneus network.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
September 1, 2000
Rafael de la Torre, Magı́ Farré, P. N. Roset et al.
178 citations
Recreational doses of MDMA (50 to 150 mg) in healthy volunteers cause pupil dilation, increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and pupillary diameter. Oral temperature changes are biphasic: a slight decrease at 1 hour followed by increases at 2 and 4 hours. Psychomotor performance shows slight dose-dependent impairment. Plasma cortisol and prolactin concentrations rise markedly. The drug's elimination half-life is about 8-9 hours. Peak drug concentrations and physiological effects occur between 1 and 2 hours and return to baseline 4-6 hours after administration.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2009
Lobsang Rapgay, Alexander Bystrisky
168 citations
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been central to introducing mindfulness into psychology and medicine, leading to secular adaptations and new measurement tools. However, increasing scrutiny reveals important questions: there is no operational definition of mindfulness, little evidence for the mechanisms explaining its effects on psychopathology and medical conditions, and unclear differentiation between attention and awareness, which are often used interchangeably. Traditional Buddhist contemplative psychology distinguishes attention as an ever-changing factor of consciousness from awareness as a stable state of consciousness.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
March 1, 1957
Julius Axelrod, Roscoe O. Brady, B. Witkop et al.
154 citations
In the late 1950s, Axelrod investigated how the body processes lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), examining its distribution, excretion, and rate of biotransformation. He detailed the subcellular processes involved in transforming LSD, determined the order of drug concentrations in various tissues, and found that the body almost completely metabolizes the drug. Additionally, he discovered considerable differences between animal species in the rate of LSD biotransformation.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
September 1, 2000
D C Mash, C A Kovera, J Pablo et al.
146 citations
Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid from the Tabernanthe Iboga shrub, has been used in low doses by indigenous peoples to combat fatigue, hunger, and thirst, and in higher doses as a religious sacrament. Anecdotal reports from addict self-help groups claim a single dose eliminates opiate withdrawal symptoms and reduces drug craving for extended periods. The compound is rapidly metabolized via CYP2D6 into noribogaine, which may underlie its prolonged effects. In an inpatient detoxification setting, ibogaine significantly decreased craving for cocaine and heroin and reduced self-reported depressive symptoms, with benefits persisting 30 days after discharge. The findings suggest noribogaine's central nervous system activity may explain the lasting aftereffects on craving and mood.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
May 1, 2008
Giulio Tononi, Marcello Massimini
135 citations
Consciousness fades during deep NREM sleep early in the night even though cortical neurons remain active and receive sensory inputs. According to integrated information theory, what matters for consciousness is not firing rates or synchronization but the brain's ability to integrate information—having a large repertoire of available states that cannot be decomposed into independent subsystems. Experiments using transcranial magnetic stimulation and high-density electroencephalography (TMS/hd-EEG) in humans tested this prediction. The sleeping brain, though active and reactive, loses its ability to enter states that are both integrated and differentiated; it either breaks into causally independent modules, responding with short local activation, or produces an explosive, aspecific slow wave.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
March 1, 2009
Athena Demertzi, Charlene Liew, Didier Ledoux et al.
125 citations
Attitudes about whether mind and brain are separate or the same thing vary by age, gender, and religious belief. Two surveys—one of university students in Edinburgh (250 people) and another of health-care workers and the public in Liège (1,858 people)—found that dualistic views (seeing mind and brain as distinct) were common. In the Liège survey, younger participants, women, and those with religious beliefs were more likely to endorse separation of mind and brain, survival of a spiritual part after death, and the existence of a soul distinct from the body. Religious belief was the strongest predictor of dualism. Over a third of medical and paramedical professionals also regarded mind and brain as separate, even though most health-care workers rejected that distinction.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2011
Pim van Lommel
124 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) in survivors of cardiac arrest are authentic phenomena that cannot be dismissed as imagination, fear of death, hallucination, psychosis, drug effects, or oxygen deficiency. Patients often undergo lasting changes after an NDE lasting only minutes during cardiac arrest. The experience includes clear and enhanced consciousness with memories, self-identity, cognition, and emotions during apparent coma. The prevailing materialistic view of consciousness as solely dependent on brain function is too limited to explain NDEs. Evidence suggests consciousness and a continuous sense of self can occur independently of a functioning brain, possibly as enhanced or nonlocal consciousness experienced apart from the lifeless body. People report that the self they encountered during an NDE feels real, not illusory.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 1, 2006
Sergio Abanades, Magı́ Farré, Mireia Segura et al.
124 citations
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) produces dose-related changes in subjective effects, showing a mixed stimulant-sedative pattern: initial feelings of euphoria, high, and liking, followed by mild-to-moderate sedation with impaired performance and balance. Single oral doses of 40, 50, 60, and 72 mg/kg were given to eight volunteers. Mean peak plasma concentrations ranged from 79.1 to 130.1 μg/L. Physiological and subjective effects were dose-dependent and related to plasma concentrations. Urinary excretion was mainly related to dose. The results suggest high abuse liability at the doses typically consumed.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
February 27, 2015
Chadi G. Abdallah, Lynnette A. Averill, John H. Krystal
117 citations
Ketamine produces rapid and robust antidepressant effects in patient populations that often show little or no response to traditional antidepressants, and it is generally well tolerated with only transient mild-to-moderate adverse effects during infusion. However, the optimal dosing, route of administration, and safety of chronic treatment remain uncertain. This review describes ketamine's clinical effects, its neurobiological mechanisms, and how these may illuminate the neurobiology of depression, relevant biomarkers, and treatment targets. The authors also suggest directions for future research to improve psychopharmacologic interventions for depressive and trauma-related disorders.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
May 1, 1998
Deborah C Mash, Craig A Kovera, Billy E Buck et al.
111 citations
Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid from the rain forest shrub Tabernanthe iboga, has been used by indigenous peoples in equatorial Africa to combat fatigue and hunger and as a religious sacrament. Anecdotal reports from addict self-help groups claim a single dose eliminates withdrawal symptoms and reduces drug cravings for extended periods, but these purported antiaddictive properties require rigorous validation. A rising tolerance study with single administration has been initiated to assess ibogaine's safety for treating cocaine dependency, with primary objectives to determine safety, pharmacokinetics, dose effects, and relevant efficacy parameters. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics are assessed via concentration-time data from the Phase I trial and in vitro experiments on metabolism.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
November 1, 2013
Steve Paulson, Richard J. Davidson, Amishi P. Jha et al.
108 citations
Many people go through life on autopilot, unaware of their conscious experiences. In a moderated discussion, neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha and clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn explore how consciousness relates to mental and physical health, how mindfulness training can make the mind more flexible and adaptable, and recent neuroscience findings on transforming consciousness through contemplative practice. This is an edited transcript of the February 6, 2013 event at the New York Academy of Sciences.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
May 1, 1998
Stanley D Glick, Isabelle M Maisonneuve
93 citations
Ibogaine, an alkaloid from Tabemanthe iboga, can decrease morphine and cocaine self-administration for several days in some rats, with shorter-lasting effects on ethanol and nicotine intake. Both ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine acutely lower dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Ibogaine pretreatment blocks morphine-induced dopamine release and hyperactivity but enhances similar effects of stimulants like cocaine and amphetamine. The compound binds to kappa opioid, NMDA, serotonin, sigma-2, and nicotinic receptors. Kappa agonist and NMDA antagonist actions appear to contribute to ibogaine's effects on opioid and stimulant self-administration, while serotonergic actions may be more important for reducing alcohol intake. Nicotinic antagonist action may mediate reduced nicotine preferences, and sigma-2 action appears to mediate neurotoxicity.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
September 1, 2000
S D Glick, I M Maisonneuve, K K Szumlinski
89 citations
18-Methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), a safer iboga alkaloid, reduces self-administration of morphine, cocaine, ethanol, and nicotine in rats without affecting nondrug reward, unlike ibogaine. Both compounds block opioid withdrawal and dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, but only ibogaine raises serotonin levels and enhances cocaine-induced dopamine. Ibogaine causes tremors and cerebellar damage at high doses; 18-MC does not. 18-MC has lower affinity for NMDA, sigma-2, sodium channels, and serotonin transporter than ibogaine. The findings suggest 18-MC has a narrower action profile and a substantially better therapeutic index than ibogaine.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
March 1, 1957
E Rothlin
81 citations
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Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
October 1, 2004
Michael H. Baumann, Robert D. Clark, Allison G. Budzynski et al.
71 citations
The combination of the piperazine analogs BZP and TFMPP mimics the neurochemical effects of MDMA in rat brain. MDMA stimulates transporter-mediated release of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA), with greater effect on serotonin. BZP selectively releases DA, while TFMPP selectively releases serotonin. Coadministration of BZP and TFMPP produces elevations in extracellular serotonin and dopamine that mirror MDMA's effects, and at high doses, the rise in dopamine exceeds the sum of each drug alone, suggesting drug-drug synergism. These findings provide a basis for recreational use of the combination to mimic MDMA.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
February 18, 2022
Sam Parnia, Stephen G. Post, Matthew T. Lee et al.
68 citations
Advances in stem cell research, neuroscience, and resuscitation science have enabled scientific insights into what happens to the human brain in relation to death. Brain cells are more resilient to anoxia than previously assumed, becoming irreversibly damaged over hours to days postmortem. Resuscitation science has restored life to millions after cardiac arrest, and survivors describe a universal set of recollections related to death. This review examines death, recalled experiences during cardiac arrest, post-intensive care syndrome, and related phenomena, discussing potential mechanisms, ethical implications, and methodological considerations. It also addresses controversies in studying consciousness and recalled experiences of cardiac arrest and death in comatose subjects to standardize future research.