Scientific reports
July 30, 2024
5 citations
People with first episode psychosis and treatment-resistant schizophrenia show reduced ability to stabilize their decision-making strategies in uncertain environments, resembling effects previously seen with the drug ketamine. In two studies, participants completed a probabilistic reversal learning task. Those with first episode psychosis made more errors and shifted strategies too often after misleading feedback. The treatment-resistant schizophrenia group also shifted strategies more, though their overall accuracy was not significantly reduced. Computational modeling revealed that only the treatment-resistant schizophrenia group showed altered confidence-based modulation of responding, similar to ketamine effects, though these modeling results are considered preliminary due to model limitations.
Scientific reports
June 24, 2024
Srishti Rana, Jeremy R Canfield, Christopher S Ward et al.
5 citations
Hyperthermia from the drug MDMA can be life-threatening. The gut microbiome's production of bile acids appears to play a key role. In rats, MDMA caused a significant rise in body temperature and reduced serum concentrations of three bile acids (cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid) 60 minutes after treatment. Pretreatment with antibiotics depleted bile acids and reversed the hyperthermia to hypothermia. Antibiotic-treated rats also showed distinct gut bacterial communities with reduced diversity and fewer bacterial genes related to bile acid metabolism. The findings suggest that gut bacterial bile acids might be essential for MDMA-induced hyperthermia.
Scientific reports
May 3, 2024
A Zdunczyk, L Schumm, S O A Helgers et al.
5 citations
Spreading depolarizations (SDs) occur frequently in patients with malignant hemispheric stroke. In animal experiments, SDs cause secondary neuronal damage and infarct expansion during the initial period of infarct progression, but their influence during the delayed period is not well characterized. This study analyzed the impact of SDs in the delayed phase after cerebral ischemia and the potential protective effect of ketamine. Focal ischemia was induced in mice. 24 hours after occlusion, SDs were measured in three groups: control, SD induction with potassium chloride, and SD induction with potassium chloride plus ketamine. Spontaneous SDs occurred at 0.33 SDs/hour, increasing to 3.37 SDs/hour with potassium chloride.
Scientific reports
November 9, 2023
Francisco T Gallo, Ignacio Spiousas, Nerea L Herrero et al.
5 citations
Dream reports from out-of-body experiences (OBEs) have a more condensed and interconnected network structure than non-lucid dreams or lucid dreams, suggesting a more coherent and unified narrative. OBEs occur during sleep paralysis, where awareness is maintained while movement is inhibited. The relationship between lucid dreams and OBEs remains debated, with some viewing them as distinct and others as variations of the same phenomenon. This analysis of dream report structure indicates that specific nodes play a more central role in OBE reports, pointing to a specialized network organization.
Scientific reports
May 26, 2025
Zitong Wang, Brett Robbins, Ryan Zhuang et al.
4 citations
Psilocybin showed a significant and sustained beneficial effect on behavioral despair and cognitive impairment in a rat model of treatment-resistant depression. The treatment increased thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels without significantly affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Psilocybin countered stress-induced TSH reductions, suggesting TSH may serve as a proxy marker of therapeutic response, though its causal role in mood regulation remains unclear. Changes in cannabinoid receptor type I (CB1R) after psilocybin administration suggest potential modulation of the endocannabinoid system, but causal links remain unconfirmed. These findings highlight psilocybin's potential to treat treatment-resistant depression through previously unexplored biological pathways.
Scientific reports
April 22, 2025
Jonathan Cohen, Liron Sulimani, Shiri Procaccia et al.
4 citations
Psilocybin-producing fungi contain many less-studied metabolites beyond psilocybin, but most research treats them as a single group. By optimizing extraction and analysis methods, the metabolomes of 42 distinct fungal strains across 9 species were examined, revealing broad diversity within and between species. Optimal extraction of fruiting bodies used a 1:20 tissue-to-solvent ratio with 25:75 water:methanol at pH 9 for 1.5 hours, enabling quantification of 8 tryptophan-derived indolamines by HPLC-DAD and identification of putative hydroxypsilocybin by HPLC-MS/MS. A method mimicking in vivo dephosphorylation for in vitro setups was also developed. The work provides a standardized approach for studying these fungi and highlights their pharmaceutical potential.
Scientific reports
April 21, 2025
Nilubon Thaoboonruang, Ornrat Lohitnavy, Kimheang Ya et al.
4 citations
A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to describe how psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin distribute through the body in mice, rats, and humans. Psilocybin is assumed to convert completely to psilocin before entering systemic circulation. The model accurately characterizes concentration-time profiles across different doses and routes of administration. It can help guide therapeutic strategies and improve clinical trial designs for using psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder.
Scientific reports
April 3, 2025
Joel Patchitt, Sarah Garfinkel, William H Strawson et al.
4 citations
False physiological feedback—mismatches between perceived and actual bodily signals—can bias how people judge the emotional intensity of faces. Prior work using auditory feedback suggested that perceived changes in heart rate increase intensity ratings regardless of whether the feedback indicates a faster or slower heart rate, with the right anterior insula acting as a mismatch detector. This study used pulsatile somatosensory stimulation (vibration) at rates above, below, or matching participants' heart rate, or no stimulation, while they rated emotional faces during brain scanning. Feedback produced a bidirectional effect: intensity ratings increased over each 20-second stimulation block.
Scientific reports
March 27, 2025
Juliana Yordanova, Valentina Nicolardi, Peter Malinowski et al.
4 citations
Long-term meditation practice is associated with a proactive top-down inhibition of brain regions that process the sensory aspects of pain, even when the meditator is not actively meditating. Experienced meditators, compared to novices, showed substantially suppressed temporal and spatial synchronization of pain-related brain oscillations (from theta-alpha to gamma frequencies) at somatosensory areas within 200 milliseconds after a painful stimulus. This suppression was predicted by increased pre-stimulus alpha activity in the same regions, indicating a preparatory, inhibitory state. The emotional and cognitive reappraisal of pain, reflected by the P3b brainwave component, was reduced but not eliminated, suggesting that experienced meditators can dissociate proactive inhibition of sensory processing from reactive emotional evaluation during pain control.
Scientific reports
October 24, 2024
Ji-Xiang Wan, Si-Si Zeng, Zhi-Qiang Wu et al.
4 citations
Adding esketamine to propofol anesthesia for hysteroscopy reduces the amount of propofol needed to prevent body movement during surgery. In a study of 90 patients, three different doses of esketamine (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mg/kg) were tested. The median effective concentration (EC50) of propofol decreased as the esketamine dose increased: from 3.849 μg/ml with the lowest dose to 3.417 μg/ml with the highest dose. The 0.3 mg/kg dose of esketamine was identified as optimal, also lowering patients' anxiety and depression scores 24 hours after surgery.
Scientific reports
September 1, 2025
Oscar Soto-Angona, Oscar Andión, Pablo Sabucedo et al.
3 citations
A three-arm, open-label study compared ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy (A-MR) with meaning reconstruction therapy alone (MR) and a no-treatment control (NT) for 84 adults who had experienced severe grief within 12 months of losing a first-degree relative. All groups showed significant reductions in grief severity, with the largest effect in A-MR (d = 2.44), followed by MR (d = 1.84) and NT (d = 0.74). A-MR led to greater reductions than MR (d = 0.86) and NT (d = 1.07), and also improved prolonged grief symptoms, post-traumatic growth, and quality of life with medium-to-large effects. Ayahuasca was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. Replication in larger randomized trials is needed.
Scientific reports
July 28, 2025
Darin Mansor Mathkor
3 citations
Among 276 nursing graduate students at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia, higher mindfulness scores were positively associated with higher grade point averages. Average mindfulness, measured just before mid-semester exams, was 121.0 out of a possible 195. The facets of acting with awareness, describing, and observing were each linked to better GPA, while the non-reactive and non-judging facets showed no association. The results suggest that regular mindfulness practice may support academic performance and cognitive skills in nursing students.
Scientific reports
July 1, 2025
Yvan Gomez, Ayako Nakaki, Allegra Conti et al.
3 citations
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program during pregnancy is associated with changes in maternal brain structure and chemistry. Pregnant women who completed the program showed larger surface area in the right superior frontal region and higher concentrations of the metabolite myo-inositol compared to those receiving usual care. Higher scores on mindfulness facets of non-judgmental and non-reactivity were also linked to larger frontal area. These findings suggest the intervention may influence the maternal brain in the third trimester.
Scientific reports
June 4, 2025
Inge Hahne, Julia Segerer, Marco Zierhut et al.
3 citations
Mindfulness is linked to fewer positive and depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and psychological flexibility appears to partly explain how mindfulness relates to negative and depressive symptoms. In a cross-sectional study of 94 adults with these disorders, higher mindfulness scores correlated with lower positive and depressive symptom severity and with greater psychological flexibility. Statistical mediation analyses showed that psychological flexibility significantly mediated the relationship between mindfulness and both negative and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest psychological flexibility may be a mechanism through which mindfulness-based interventions reduce certain symptoms, though longitudinal research is needed to confirm this.
Scientific reports
April 25, 2025
Alyssa Torske, Doris Schicker, Jessica Freiherr et al.
3 citations
Frequent exposure to food cues in modern environments can desensitize sensory systems, reducing eating pleasure and prompting overeating to compensate. A 31-day web-based mindfulness training, compared to health training, may reduce this habituation response to high-calorie food stimuli in stressed, hungry individuals. The training appears to increase neural activity in brain regions for visual, olfactory, and emotion processing, potentially improving attention to food and enhancing eating pleasure, which could curb overeating and associated weight gain and disease risks.
Scientific reports
October 13, 2024
Oscar Véliz-García, Marcos Domic-Siede
3 citations
Among 4,270 Latin American adults who regularly use macrodoses of psychedelics, the most common substance is psilocybin mushrooms. Users are diverse and are motivated mainly by psychological and spiritual well-being. The findings highlight the need for informed, safe, and legal use frameworks for naturalistic psychedelic use in Latin America.
Scientific reports
October 8, 2024
Mathias Schneeweiss-Gleixner, Katharina Krenn, Mathias Petter et al.
3 citations
Among critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, more than half developed cholestasis—a liver condition marked by elevated alkaline phosphatase. Cholestasis was linked to use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ketamine, high inflammation, and greater disease severity. Patients with cholestasis had worse survival in the ICU and at six months, indicating it is a negative prognostic marker.
Scientific reports
March 13, 2024
Matt P D Gwyther, Bigna Lenggenhager, Jennifer M Windt et al.
3 citations
People with stronger depersonalisation traits—feeling detached from their own body—report more frequent dreams from an outside-observer perspective and more dreams with distinct or altered bodily sensations, along with more nightmares and higher dream recall. They also show weaker body boundaries and less trust in internal bodily signals while awake. These findings suggest that dreaming does not provide a temporary escape from depersonalisation symptoms; instead, the dream state mirrors the waking disruptions in sense of self and body.
Scientific reports
December 13, 2023
Katharina Voltmer, Finja Hondrich, Maria Von Salisch
3 citations
A daily classroom breathing program, the Breathing Break Intervention (BBI), improved third and fourth graders' arithmetic test scores compared to an active control group. In a randomized trial with 140 children, those who did brief breathing exercises for nine weeks scored higher on a standardized arithmetic test five months later, even after accounting for working memory and parents' education. Teacher ratings of math performance did not differ between groups. The results suggest that simple breathing practices can boost children's math skills.
Scientific reports
November 10, 2023
Lucas Cruz, Bheatrix Bienemann, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes et al.
3 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew used as an entheogen for centuries, is being investigated as a treatment for clinical disorders. This study analyzed open-ended descriptions from nine people with treatment-resistant depression and twenty healthy controls after their first ayahuasca experience. Using quantitative textual analysis, five clusters emerged: altered consciousness, cognitive changes, somatic alterations, auditory experiences, and visual content. People with depression reported more aversive bodily reactions. The findings align with known psychedelic experience patterns and may guide therapeutic use of ayahuasca.
Scientific reports
July 9, 2025
Colin McDaniel, Assal Habibi, Jonas Kaplan
2 citations
Taking a break from a creative writing task can improve subsequent performance if the mind wanders during that break, even though the type of break activity itself does not matter. In a preregistered experiment, participants wrote two short stories separated by a 10-minute incubation period involving a memory task, meditation, or no break. No single break type boosted creativity more than others. However, across all conditions, participants who reported more mind wandering during the break showed greater improvement in the semantic creativity of their second story—but only when they continued working on the same story prompt. This benefit was specific to mind wandering and not to other thoughts, such as deliberately thinking about the story, and held even after accounting for people's general tendency to mind wander.
Scientific reports
May 6, 2025
Nahathai Wongpakaran, Sirilux Klaychaiya, Chompimaksorn Panuspanudechdamrong et al.
2 citations
Among older Thai adults, meditation and adherence to the Buddhist Five Precepts together predicted lower depressive symptoms, but this effect was not seen in younger adults. In a sample of 1,472 individuals (232 older adults, mean age 67.96 years; 1,240 younger adults, mean age 29.04 years), the combination of precepts, meditation, and their interaction significantly reduced depression in the older group (estimated coefficient = -0.1082, 95% CI = -0.1865 to -0.03), increasing explained variance from 24.9% to 31.8%. For younger adults, meditation and precepts mediated the stress-depression link, but the direct interaction was not significant. Older adults who practiced both high precept adherence and meditation showed a stronger buffering effect on stress-related depression.
Scientific reports
April 23, 2025
Shiqi Luo, Biru Luo, Zihang Wei et al.
2 citations
In a cross-sectional study of 946 infertile women in western China, higher mindfulness was linked to lower depressed mood, both directly and indirectly through reduced rumination and anxiety. The total effect of mindfulness on depressed mood was -0.390; the direct path was -0.170, and indirect paths accounted for 56.4% of the total effect. A chain mediation path from mindfulness through rumination thinking and anxiety state to depressed mood was significant, with an effect of -0.075. Mindfulness appears to protect against depressed mood in infertile women partly by decreasing rumination and anxiety.
Scientific reports
February 25, 2025
Joachim Neumann, Tobias Dietrich, Karyna Azatsian et al.
2 citations
Hallucinogenic tryptamines DMT and 5-MeO-DMT increase the force of contraction and beating rate in heart muscle tissue from mice engineered to overexpress human 5-HT4 receptors, and also increase force of contraction in human atrial tissue from cardiac surgery patients. These effects are smaller than those of serotonin, reaching about 65% of serotonin's maximum inotropic effect at 10 µM in mouse left atria, and 40 ± 5% of serotonin's chronotropic effect in mouse right atria. The drugs are inactive in wild-type mice. The potency of 5-MeO-DMT is enhanced by a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and it increases phosphorylation of phospholamban at serine 16. DMT and 5-MeO-DMT act as partial agonists at human 5-HT4 receptors.
Scientific reports
December 30, 2024
Chloé Gomez, Lynn Uhrig, Vincent Frouin et al.
2 citations
A low-dimensional variational autoencoder (VAE) can model dynamic functional connectivity from resting-state fMRI to capture brain patterns related to consciousness. The VAE balanced reconstruction and classification performance compared to other models. Its latent representations stratified brain patterns and experimental conditions. Receptive field analysis identified latent directions for transitioning between patterns, and an ablation study virtually inactivated brain areas. The model summarized consciousness-specific information in key inter-areal connections, consistent with the global neuronal workspace theory. This framework may support development of an interpretable computational brain model for disorders of consciousness.