When people take psilocybin mushrooms, they look at images differently – they focus more on visually striking regions while keeping their eyes in smaller areas. Brain recordings showed changes in electrical activity patterns. The research suggests psilocybin alters how the brain balances what naturally catches attention versus where we intentionally choose to look.
This paper examines how psychedelic research studies ‘mystical experiences’—profound spiritual-type states often linked to therapeutic benefits. The authors argue that current scientific measures of these experiences are based on Western Christian and colonial-era ideas about mysticism that aren’t universal. They propose that scientists should work more closely with religious scholars and anthropologists to better understand these complex experiences across different cultures and contexts.
This study used computer models of brain activity to understand how the psychedelic drug DMT rapidly changes how the brain works during an acute experience. Researchers found that DMT pushes brain dynamics into a special state where the brain becomes hypersensitive to small changes or stimuli. This heightened sensitivity is strongest in brain regions rich in serotonin receptors and matches the expected timing of the drug’s effects, suggesting that brief psychedelic experiences may create lasting changes in the brain through this temporary destabilization window.
This paper explores how the thalamus, a key brain structure controlling attention and perception, malfunctions in Parkinson’s disease and similar neurological conditions, causing hallucinations and delusions. Interestingly, these symptoms resemble the altered mental states produced by psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin. By studying both conditions together, researchers found that a common mechanism called thalamocortical dysrhythmia disrupts how the brain filters information and processes reality, offering new insights for treating psychotic symptoms.
Researchers developed a new brain-monitoring technique called the Inner Dereification Index that can detect when someone is meditating versus mind-wandering using only a brief EEG recording. By analyzing electrical activity in specific brain regions involved in self-awareness and personal thoughts, the method can accurately track meditation progress in real-time with 99.6% accuracy. The technique works with minimal training data and shows that certain meditation practices—particularly Tibetan Buddhist techniques aimed at experiencing the emptiness of self—create distinctive brain patterns. This breakthrough could enable real-time meditation feedback devices and personalized meditation guidance.
Researchers studied how DMT, a powerful psychedelic drug, changes brain activity patterns and how these changes relate to what people experience. Using advanced brain imaging and network analysis, they found that DMT shifts brain activity away from large-scale network patterns toward smaller, more diverse patterns. Importantly, these brain changes directly tracked with how intensely participants reported experiencing the drug’s effects moment-to-moment.
This study adapted a psychological assessment tool called the Ego Dissolution Inventory for use in Brazil. Ego dissolution refers to the profound sense of losing one’s sense of self that people experience when using psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. The researchers found that the adapted Brazilian version works well and identifies three dimensions of the experience: confidence/assertiveness, ego dissolution, and ego inflation. This validated tool can now help researchers in Brazil better understand psychedelic experiences and their potential therapeutic benefits.