Homological scaffolds of brain functional networks G. Petri, Paul Expert, F. Turkheimer, Robin Carhart-Harris, David Nutt, P.J. hellyer, F. Vaccarino Journal of The Royal Society, Interface, 2014, 11, 20140873 Published : 06 December 2014 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0873 Abstract Networks, as efficient representations of complex systems, have appealed to scientists for a long time and now permeate many areas of science, including neuroimaging (Bullmore and Sporns 2009 Nat. Rev. Neurosci.10, 186–198. (doi:10.1038/nrn2618)). Traditionally, the structure of complex networks has been studied through their statistical properties and metrics concerned with node and link properties, e.g. degree-distribution, node centrality and modularity. Here, we study the characteristics of functional brain networks at [...]
Lire la suiteThe Consciousness Research of Stanislav Grof : A Cosmic Portal Beyond Individuality Richard Yensen & Donna Dryer 1998 I. Introduction Stanislav Grof began his research in Prague, Czechoslovakia, as a psychiatric resident, in the late 1950’s. His initial observations seemed to confirm and offer a laboratory proof for many of the basic tenets of Freudian psychoanalytic thought. At that time his conclusion was politically unsettling because psychoanalysis was repressed in the iron curtain countries. Forty years later the outcome of Grof’s continued research is a theoretical framework for understanding human consciousness. His theory has evolved into a wide-ranging description of the relationship between the individual [...]
Lire la suiteThe Pharmacology of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide : a Review Torsten PASSIE, John H. HALPERN, Dirk O. STICHTENOTH, Hinderk M. EMRICH, Annelie HINTZEN CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 2008, 14, 295-314. Doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00059.x Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was synthesized in 1938 and its psychoactive effects discovered in 1943. It was used during the 1950s and 1960s as an experimental drug in psychiatric research for producing so-called “experimental psychosis” by altering neurotransmitter system and in psychotherapeutic procedures (“psycholytic” and “psychedelic” therapy). From the mid 1960s, it became an illegal drug of abuse with widespread use that continues today. With the entry of new methods of research and [...]
Lire la suiteMicrodosing psychedelics: More questions than answers? An overview and suggestions for future research Kim P.C. Kuypers, Livia Ng, David Erritzoe, Gitte M. Knudsen, Charles D. Nichols, David E. Nichols, Luca Pani, Anaïs Soula and David Nutt Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2019, 1-10. Doi: 10.1177/0269881119857204 Abstract Background : In the past few years, the issue of ‘microdosing’ psychedelics has been openly discussed in the public arena where claims have been made about their positive effect on mood state and cognitive processes such as concentration. However, there are very few scientific studies that have specifically addressed this issue, and there is no agreed scientific consensus on what microdosing [...]
Lire la suitePositive psychology in the investigation of psychedelics and entactogens : A critical review Henrik Jungaberle, Sascha Thal, Andrea Zeuch, Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking, Maximilian von Heyden, Helena Aicher, Milan Scheidegger Neuropharmacology, 2018 PII: S0028-3908(18)30336-8 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.06.034 Rationale : We reviewed the concepts and empirical findings in studies with psychedelics and entactogens related to positive psychology – the study of healthy human functioning, well-being and eudaemonia. It is an unresolved question how beneficial effects of psychedelics and entactogens are related to the potential risks of these substances – particularly in non-clinical settings. Methods : We searched in PubMed, PsychINFO and the Cochrane Library for controlled clinical and epidemiological studies [...]
Lire la suiteCultural Neurophenomenology of Psychedelic Thought : Guiding the “Unconstrained” Mind Through Ritual Context Michael Lifshitz, Eli Sheiner, and Laurence J. Kirmayer The Oxford Handbook of Spontaneous Thought : Mind-Wandering, Creativity, and Dreaming, Edited by Kalina Christoff and Kieran C.R. Fox May 2018 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464745.013.4 Abstract This chapter explores psychedelics as catalysts of spontaneous thought. Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca can induce potent alterations in cognition and perception. The chapter reviews research on these substances through the lens of cultural neurophenomenology, which aims to trace how neurobiology and sociocultural factors interact to shape experience. After a decades-long hiatus, the scientific study of psychedelics [...]
Lire la suiteClassic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences : Phenomenology and Neural Correlates Frederick S. Barrett and Roland R. Griffiths The following chapter will appear in the Springer text “Behavioral Neurobiology of Psychedelic Drugs”, in the series “Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience” that is edited by Adam L Halberstadt, Franz X Vollenweider, and David E Nichols Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2017 March 26. DOI: 10.1007/7854_2017_474 Abstract This chapter begins with a brief review of descriptions and definitions of mystical-type experiences and the historical connection between classic hallucinogens and mystical experiences. The chapter then explores the empirical literature on experiences with classic hallucinogens in which claims about mystical or religious experiences [...]
Lire la suiteDose-related Effects of Salvinorin A in Humans : Dissociative, Hallucinogenic, and Memory Effects MacLEAN K.A., JOHNSON M.W., REISSIG C.J., PRISINZANO T.E., GRIFFITHS R.R. : Psychopharmacology (Berl), 2013, 226, (2), 381–392. doi: 10.1007/s00213-012-2912-9 Abstract Rationale—Salvinorin A is a kappa opioid agonist and the principal psychoactive constituent of the plant Salvia divinorum, which has increased in popularity as a recreational drug over the past decade. Few human studies have examined salvinorin A. Objective—This double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the dose-related effects of inhaled salvinorin A in individuals with histories of hallucinogen use. Methods—Eight healthy hallucinogen-using adults inhaled up to 16 doses of salvinorin A (0.375 - 21 μg/kg) in ascending order. Physiological, behavioral, [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics as a treatment for disorders of consciousness Gregory SCOTT and Robin L. CARHART-HARRIS Neuroscience of Consciousness, 2019, 5, (1), niz003 doi: 10.1093/nc/niz003 Abstract Based on its ability to increase brain complexity, a seemingly reliable index of conscious level, we propose testing the capacity of the classic psychedelic, psilocybin, to increase conscious awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness. We also confront the considerable ethical and practical challenges this proposal must address, if this hypothesis is to be directly assessed. Key words : disorders of consciousness; psychedelics; psilocybin; complexity Introduction Disorders of consciousness (DoC) are the most devastating form of impairment that may follow acquired brain injury. In [...]
Lire la suiteThe Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: Hypotheses from Evolutionary Psychology Michael J. Winkelman Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2017, 11, article 539, 1-17. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00539 Neuropharmacological effects of psychedelics have profound cognitive, emotional, and social effects that inspired the development of cultures and religions worldwide. Findings that psychedelics objectively and reliably produce mystical experiences press the question of the neuropharmacological mechanisms by which these highly significant experiences are produced by exogenous neurotransmitter analogs. Humans have a long evolutionary relationship with psychedelics, a consequence of psychedelics’ selective effects for human cognitive abilities, exemplified in the information rich visionary experiences. Objective evidence that psychedelics produce classicmystical experiences, coupled [...]
Lire la suite