Summary: Researchers introduce “apical hypercontextualisation”—a bottom-up neurobiological mechanism explaining how psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline) transform perception and cognition. Moving beyond macro-scale whole-brain neuroimaging, the framework focuses on the cellular…
Category: Psychology
Early Stress Heightens Adult Anxiety
Summary: Researchers uncovered a fundamental epigenetic mechanism explaining how early-life adversity permanently alters the brain’s stress response networks. The study identified that childhood trauma increases levels of the enzyme SETD7…
How Overconfidence and Loss Aversion Co-Evolved
Summary: Researchers propose an evolutionary resolution to why human overconfidence persists despite causing costly decision-making errors. The study argues that overconfidence functions analogously to a peacock’s tail: a costly evolutionary…
Depression Triggers Volume Loss in Memory Brain Areas
Summary: Researchers identified a specific structural brain change associated with depression in older adults. Examining high-resolution MRI scans from 2,009 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 50 to 90, the team discovered…
ChatGPT Predicts Human Personality Test Results
Summary: A new study demonstrated a novel method using ChatGPT (GPT-4) to construct, validate, and predict population-level responses for personality assessment questionnaires derived from any source text. The team tested…
Nonordinary Experiences Lead to Long-Term Personal Growth
Summary: Researchers investigated how individuals perceive and process nonordinary experiences (NOEs), such as out-of-body experiences, extrasensory perception, and sensing an unseen presence. Utilizing a newly validated 47-item Inventory of Nonordinary…
THC Significantly Reduces Trauma Nightmares in PTSD
Summary: Researchers investigated the efficacy of dronabinol, a plant-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) formulation, in treating trauma-related nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction…
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Increases Psychiatric Risk
Summary: Researchers analyzed data from over 40,000 Swedish patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) between 2007 and 2023. Comparing IBD patients against nearly 180,000 general population controls and 26,000…
Brain PET Scans Link Late-Onset Psychosis to Tau and Amyloid
Summary: A new study demonstrates that first-episode hallucinations and delusions appearing after age 40 are frequently driven by underlying neurodegenerative pathology. Using molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the team…
How Posture Boosts Risk-Taking and Positive Mood
Summary: A new study demonstrates that a person’s physical posture subtly influences their emotional state and economic decision-making without their conscious awareness. Key Facts Implicit Posture Control: Unlike previous “power…
