Scientific reports
March 26, 2024
Berit Singer, Daniel Meling, Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann et al.
15 citations
Brain activity patterns during meditation shift after a psilocybin-assisted retreat, especially when open-monitoring meditation is practiced. Using functional MRI and a topological data analysis method (Mapper), researchers compared experienced meditators who received psilocybin or placebo over five days. The psilocybin group showed a link between positive derealization—an altered perception that can foster insight—and a greater geometric distance between open-monitoring meditation and resting-state brain activity, as measured by optimal transport distance. This suggests that combining psilocybin with open-monitoring practice enhances meta-awareness and insight. The findings point to possible brain markers for synergistic effects between mindfulness and psychedelics.
Scientific reports
February 21, 2022
Monika Herian, Adam Wojtas, Marzena Maćkowiak et al.
15 citations
The synthetic hallucinogen 25I-NBOMe crosses the blood-brain barrier easily and accumulates in the brain after repeated doses. In rats, chronic treatment caused DNA damage in brain tissue 72 hours later, but no signs of apoptosis. The number of glial cells decreased in the frontal and medial prefrontal cortex, while neural cells were unaffected. These findings suggest that oxidative DNA damage from 25I-NBOMe may lead to glial cell death, indicating potential brain toxicity from recreational use.
Scientific reports
August 30, 2024
Yumiao Fu, Yifan Song, Yining Li et al.
14 citations
Mindfulness meditation reduces depressive symptoms in people with depression, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis found a significant effect favoring mindfulness meditation over comparison groups, with a standardized mean difference of -1.14. The findings suggest that mindfulness meditation is an effective evidence-based practice for lowering depressive symptoms during times of increased stress, such as a pandemic.
Scientific reports
October 14, 2023
Nathalie M Rieser, Ladina P Gubser, Flora Moujaes et al.
14 citations
Psilocybin alters cerebral blood flow in the brain, and the magnitude of these changes depends on individual baseline psychological and neurobiological characteristics. In a placebo-controlled study of 70 healthy participants given one of three oral doses of psilocybin, reductions in relative cerebral blood flow correlated with both baseline traits and the intensity of the subjective psychedelic experience. The findings demonstrate that inter-individual heterogeneity in the neural response to psilocybin is linked to pre-existing differences, helping to identify biomarkers for a personalized medicine approach in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Scientific reports
June 26, 2024
Lukas A Basedow, Tomislav Majić, Nicklas Jakob Hafiz et al.
13 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis examined how psychedelics and MDMA affect cognitive performance during acute drug effects and the sub-acute (afterglow) window. Acute psychedelic use impairs attention and executive function, while MDMA primarily impairs memory, leaving executive functions and attention unaffected. During the sub-acute period (at least 24 hours after acute effects subside), executive functioning and creativity may be increased following psychedelics, but no such effects were observed for MDMA. These findings can inform harm reduction recommendations for recreational use and support differential therapeutic approaches for psychedelics and MDMA.
Scientific reports
February 19, 2024
Rosalind G McAlpine, Matthew D Sacchet, Otto Simonsson et al.
13 citations
A 21-day self-directed digital course (DIPP) was co-designed to improve psychedelic preparation. The intervention, built on a four-factor model of psychedelic preparedness, was developed through two mixed-methods studies: interviews with 19 past high-dose psilocybin retreat attendees and co-design workshops with 28 current retreat participants. The course includes daily meditation, weekly module exercises, and mood tracking. The authors suggest DIPP offers a scalable, comprehensive tool to enhance safety and therapeutic benefits by addressing knowledge, psychophysical readiness, safety planning, and intention.
Scientific reports
November 6, 2024
Yan Zhang, Chu-Ke Wei, Ping Wang et al.
12 citations
Prenatal stress from unpredictable mild stress during pregnancy leads to depressive-like behaviors and impaired hippocampal neuroplasticity in male offspring. A single dose of S-ketamine (10 mg/kg) given to these offspring on postnatal day 42 counteracted depression-like behaviors. At the cellular level, S-ketamine alleviated reductions in neuronal complexity and dendritic spine density in the CA1 hippocampus and reversed synaptic morphology alterations. At the molecular level, it upregulated BDNF and PSD95 expression and activated AKT and mTOR in the hippocampus. S-ketamine appears to produce antidepressant effects by enhancing hippocampal neuroplasticity via the BDNF/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
Scientific reports
February 22, 2024
Ethan V Hagen, Melike Schalomon, Yanbo Zhang et al.
11 citations
LSD at low concentrations (1.5, 15, and 150 µg/L) acutely reduced high mobility in zebrafish, and the two lowest concentrations also decreased swimming velocity. However, after repeated daily exposure for ten days followed by a seven-day withdrawal period, no significant differences in anxiety-like behavior, boldness, or locomotion were observed between any LSD-treated group and controls. These results suggest that while LSD can produce acute behavioral effects at very low doses, tolerance may develop with repeated administration, and no lasting behavioral changes persist after withdrawal.
Scientific reports
October 6, 2023
Junliang Zhang, Zhongzheng Hu, Shuang Zheng et al.
11 citations
Mindfulness is linked to lower depression in college students, partly through greater meaning in life and psychological resilience. In a survey of 1,034 students, the direct effect of mindfulness on depression accounted for 61% of the total effect. Meaning in life and resilience each mediated part of the relationship, with effect amounts of 13% and 22% respectively. A chain mediation—mindfulness to meaning in life to resilience to depression—accounted for 4% of the effect. The findings suggest that mindfulness may reduce depression by enhancing both a sense of purpose and the capacity to cope with adversity.
Scientific reports
January 13, 2025
Fikret Sahin, Aslihan Gunel, Buse Turegun Atasoy et al.
10 citations
Drugs that block the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, such as memantine and ketamine, increase the activity of the 20S proteasome, a cellular machine that degrades damaged or misfolded proteins. In a mouse model, ketamine changed the levels of many brain proteins within two hours, notably reducing proteins linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The altered proteins were involved in synaptic plasticity and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, a pathway that may explain ketamine's lasting effects in major depression. Because proteasome activity declines with age, leading to protein aggregation, these findings suggest new treatment possibilities for brain diseases and other conditions involving misfolded proteins.
Scientific reports
September 21, 2022
Sofia Tzioridou, Martin Dresler, Kristian Sandberg et al.
10 citations
Nightmares are less frequent and less distressing for people who practice mindful acceptance—the ability to experience thoughts and feelings without judgment—rather than merely mindful presence, or paying attention to the present moment. Two studies, one with 338 participants and another with 187 frequent lucid dreamers who used meditation and lucid dream induction techniques, found that acceptance was more strongly linked to fewer nightmares and less nightmare distress than presence. People with high meditation expertise and practice of lucid dreaming techniques reported the lowest nightmare frequency. Among frequent lucid dreamers, more lucid dreaming was associated with higher mindfulness. The findings suggest that the two facets of mindfulness play distinct roles in dream quality, with potential clinical applications.
Scientific reports
April 15, 2025
Hong Ding, Lei Zhang, Chao Ma et al.
9 citations
Twenty weeks of mindfulness meditation training, three 20-minute sessions per week, improved attention span, concentrativeness, stability, and attentional networks in professional male fencer athletes compared to a control condition involving mind-wandering audio. The mindfulness group also showed increased oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex during cognitive tests, lower mental fatigue, and lower salivary cortisol after the intervention. No significant differences were found for distractibility or attentional blink on task-irrelevant information. The authors suggest that long-term mindfulness meditation after physical training enhances attentive capacity and cerebral oxygenation, which may facilitate focus and improve athletic performance.
Scientific reports
November 30, 2024
Takayuki Niizato, Kotaro Sakamoto, Yoh-Ichi Mototake et al.
9 citations
Integrated information theory (IIT), which measures consciousness via information integration, can be applied to non-biological systems. In schooling fish (Plecoglossus altivelis), group integrity (Φ) was highest at the critical state. Multiple levels of criticality existed as distinct subgroups within the school, and these fragmented critical subgroups coexisted with the group's overall criticality. The distribution of high-criticality subgroups was uneven across time and space. Fish in high-criticality subgroups were less affected by internal and external stimuli than those in low-criticality subgroups. These results align with prior interpretations of critical phenomena and provide a new view of empirical critical-state dynamics.
Scientific reports
November 13, 2024
Davide Tanasi, Branko F Van Oppen de Ruiter, Fiorella Florian et al.
9 citations
A liquid concoction used in 2nd-century BCE Egyptian rituals contained multiple psychoactive and medicinal substances. Analysis of residues inside a Bes-vase identified proteins, metabolites, and genetic sequences from Peganum harmala, blue water lily (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea), and a Cleome species, all known for psychotropic properties. Human fluids were also detected, suggesting direct human involvement in rituals. Fermented fruit-based liquid and honey or royal jelly were present. The findings reveal the complexity of ancient ritual practices and their use of bioactive natural resources.
Scientific reports
August 11, 2024
Lila Harris-Blum, Zachary Smith, Richard J Ortiz et al.
9 citations
Exposure to LSD during periadolescence in mice altered gray matter microarchitecture across much of the brain, particularly in the thalamus, sensory and motor cortices, and basal ganglia, while the forebrain olfactory system, prefrontal cortex, and hindbrain were unaffected. Multiple doses reduced functional connectivity between forebrain white matter tracts and sensorimotor cortices and hippocampus. However, no differences in brain volume, cognitive performance, or motor behavior were observed when the animals were tested as young adults. The pronounced changes in diffusion-weighted imaging values across 74 brain areas suggest altered neuroplasticity, but the behavioral consequences of the connectivity changes remain unknown.
Scientific reports
July 30, 2024
Matthias Wagner, Alissa Wieczorek
9 citations
After performing a mentally draining self-control task (the Stroop test), basketball free-throw accuracy and football penalty-kick precision under pressure were better when participants then spent 15 minutes in a virtual-reality mindfulness breathing meditation with biofeedback, compared with a 15-minute rest break. In experiment 1 (18 basketball players) and experiment 2 (16 football players), the brief VR meditation counteracted the negative effects of ego depletion and enhanced motor-skill performance under pressure. The findings suggest that combining virtual reality, mindfulness, and biofeedback can help restore self-control resources and improve sports performance after mental fatigue.
Scientific reports
June 3, 2024
Ye Hoon Lee, Weisheng Chiu, Juhee Hwang et al.
9 citations
Mobile-delivered mindfulness meditation improved mental health indicators among young male judo athletes in South Korea. After the intervention, the mindfulness group showed significant reductions in depression, perceived stress, and anxiety, along with increased self-esteem. Effect sizes ranged from moderate to large. The control group did not show these improvements. The findings suggest that mobile meditation programs can help address mental health challenges in young athletes.
Scientific reports
February 24, 2024
Jennifer W Evans, Morgan C Graves, Allison C Nugent et al.
9 citations
The hippocampus and amygdala are brain regions involved in major depressive disorder (MDD) and its treatment. Preclinical work suggests antidepressants, including ketamine, can reverse stress-related changes in these areas. Clinical studies show reduced volumes in MDD, worsened by early life stress and repeated episodes. This analysis of structural MRI data from a prior double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial examined changes in hippocampal and amygdalar subfield volumes after ketamine treatment. Participants included healthy volunteers and unmedicated individuals with treatment-resistant depression scanned at baseline and twice after a single ketamine or saline infusion. At 10 days post-infusion, a slight increase in whole left amygdalar volume was observed in the ketamine group among those with depression. No other differences were found between groups at either 3T or 7T field strength.
Scientific reports
February 19, 2025
Xue Zhang, Xin Zhao, Jiaxin Xu et al.
8 citations
For emergency intubation in critically ill adults, using esketamine for induction results in higher mean arterial pressure during and after the procedure compared to a midazolam/sufentanil admixture, with no significant difference in heart rate. Patients receiving esketamine required less norepinephrine, had a shorter duration of ventilation support (median 105 vs. 212 hours), and a shorter ICU stay (median 7 vs. 15 days). 28-day mortality did not differ between groups, and no serious adverse events occurred. Esketamine appears to be a hemodynamically stable induction agent for this population.
Scientific reports
May 17, 2024
Annie C Souza, Bryan C Souza, Arthur França et al.
7 citations
The psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT alters brain activity in rats by increasing delta waves and decreasing theta waves in the hippocampus, changes that are not explained by movement. It also reduces slow and mid gamma power and disrupts theta phase modulation. The overall brain state resembles patterns seen during slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, suggesting that the drug's effects involve mixing waking behavior with sleep-like neural oscillations.
Scientific reports
May 25, 2025
Jurij Brankačk, Yevgenij Yanovsky, Adriano B L Tort et al.
6 citations
Slow oscillations in the brain’s parietal cortex during urethane anesthesia differ fundamentally from those during natural non-REM sleep in mice, despite appearing similar on the surface. Differences are evident in the local field potential, the underlying current sources, and the modulation of unit activity. The data show that slow network oscillations in natural sleep and anesthesia are generated by different mechanisms, challenging the assumption that anesthesia reliably models sleep-related brain activity. This work highlights that phenomenological similarities can mask distinct neural processes, with implications for using anesthesia as a model for sleep and consciousness studies.
Scientific reports
February 26, 2025
Merav Catalogna, Ya'Ira Somerville, Nira Saporta et al.
6 citations
A two-week digital intervention combining spatial cognition, mindfulness, attention-training exercises, and cognitive behavioral therapy reduced self-reported depression with a large effect size in adults aged 55-60 with subjective cognitive decline, elevated stress, and depressive symptoms. Resting-state fMRI showed decreased connectivity within the default mode network and enhanced anticorrelation between the default mode and salience networks, the latter linked to improved depression scores. Salivary IL-18 concentration decreased with a medium effect size, correlated with reduced default mode-amygdala connectivity. Anxiety showed a trend toward reduction, while quality of life did not change significantly. These preliminary findings suggest synergistic benefits across brain function, immune markers, and mood, but require replication in larger controlled studies.
Scientific reports
December 2, 2024
Sara Rodriguez-Moreno, Blanca Rojas, Pablo Roca
6 citations
An eight-week Compassion Cultivation Training program for medical students reduced stress and anxiety, with improvements in emotion regulation and mindfulness skills explaining these benefits. Women showed greater reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression and greater improvements in well-being immediately after the program, but these gender differences did not persist at a two-month follow-up. The findings suggest that compassion training can alleviate psychological distress in medical students by enhancing emotion regulation and mindfulness.
Scientific reports
October 26, 2024
Micah Alan Johnson, Ninette Simonian, Nicco Reggente
6 citations
A novel technique of audiovisual stimulation (AVS) substantially improves self-reported mood by reducing anxiety and depression and enhancing performance on mood-sensitive cognitive tasks. In a randomized, controlled, double-blind experiment with 262 participants, mood benefits from AVS closely aligned with those from breath-focused meditation. A brief AVS exposure of about five minutes may be sufficient or even optimal for improving mood to a comparable or greater degree than meditation sessions of 11 to 22 minutes. Most AVS effects were similar whether binaural beats were present or not and regardless of duration. AVS may offer a more accessible alternative to meditation.
Scientific reports
April 14, 2025
Li Zhao, Xuelei Zhou, Linlin Chen et al.
5 citations
Adding esketamine to remimazolam for sedation during painless gastroscopy reduces the required dose of remimazolam and improves hemodynamic stability. In a randomized double-blind study, the median effective dose (ED50) of remimazolam alone was 0.344 mg/kg, which fell to 0.289 mg/kg with 0.2 mg/kg esketamine and to 0.193 mg/kg with 0.4 mg/kg esketamine. Patients receiving esketamine had more stable blood pressure and less hypotension, but their recovery times were significantly longer. The combination offers advantages in safety and stability for endoscopic sedation.