FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·December 15, 2020·4 min readHallucinations Induced in Lab Could Be Key to Better Understanding and TreatmentInducing hallucinations using visual stimuli in a lab setting enables more objective and reliable testing.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·November 9, 2020·4 min readStudy Finds Evidence of Neurobiological Mechanism for Hallucinations and DelusionsHallucinations and delusions share a common neurobiological mechanism while simultaneously depending on symptom-specific pathways.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePsychology·June 11, 2020·4 min readHallucinations in people with seizures may point to suicide risk8% of patients with a history of seizures reported experiencing hallucinations. Of the 8%, 53% reported one or more suicide attempts. Findings suggest hallucinations associated with seizures are not just incidental but are a marker for mental health risks and suicidal behavior.Read More
Auditory NeuroscienceFeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·May 26, 2020·5 min readSchizophrenia: When the thalamus misleads the earA new study reports hyper-connectivity between substructures of the thalamus, and the cerebral cortex may be responsible for auditory hallucinations associated with schizophrenia.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesVisual Neuroscience·May 6, 2020·6 min readHow strong is your mental imagery? It might depend on how ‘excitable’ your neurons areThe strength of a person's mental imagery is associated with excitability in the prefrontal cortex and visual cortex. Highly excitable neurons in the visual cortex may reduce a person's ability to imagine mental images. The findings shed light on how aphantasia, a condition where a person can not imaging mental images, may occur.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 8, 2020·1 min readPotential harms of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for treating COVID-19Study warns of the potentially serious adverse effects of prescribing hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19. Some of the potential side effects include cardiac arrhythmias, hypoglycemia, and neuropsychiatric effects.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·November 19, 2019·4 min readAyahuasca DMT compound changes brainwaves to vivid ‘waking-dream’ stateDMT alters electrical activity in the brain. The compound significantly decreases alpha wave activity, the dominant rhythm associated with wakefulness, and increases theta waves, associated with dreaming. Overall brain activity becomes more chaotic and less predictable. The findings advance the understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of immersive states of consciousness.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·October 24, 2019·3 min readMindfulness meditation enhances positive effects of psilocybinMindful meditation enhances the positive effects of a single dose of psilocybin by increasing empathy and reducing egocentricity.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePain·October 21, 2019·2 min readOne in three pain patients suffer side effects after ketamine infusion therapy35% of patients who used ketamine to manage pain reported significant side effects ranging from hallucination, out-of-body experiences, visual disturbances, and urinary dysfunction. 20% of the side effects were linked directly to ketamine, and 15% associated with ketamine in combination with other drugs.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·August 22, 2019·4 min read‘Microdosers’ of psychedelics report improved mood, focus and creativityThose who microdose psychedelics report improved mood, greater focus, and increased creativity. A new study looks at the positive outcomes of microdosing and suggests others look at potential long-term negative consequences of using psychedelics.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·July 18, 2019·5 min readStimulating neurons to induce particular perceptions in mice’s mindsUsing optogenetics, researchers stimulated neurons in the visual cortex of mice to induce illusory images in the animals' minds.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·July 9, 2019·3 min readKratom herbal supplement used to treat addiction and pain found unsafe by researchersKratom, a herbal supplement used to manage pain and treat opioid addiction, is unsafe to use, researchers report. The supplement has been linked to an increased risk of tachycardia, hallucinations, coma, and cardiac arrest.Read More