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13 papers
The glymphatic system is a recently discovered pathway in the brain that uses perivascular tunnels made by astroglial cells to clear soluble proteins and waste and to move nutrients and signaling molecules around the brain. It works mainly during sleep and is much less active when we are awake, so…
Researchers ran two fMRI studies using a gambling task to see how personality and a dopamine gene relate to brain reward signals. Rewards were given either right after a response (Study 1) or after a 7.5-second wait (Study 2). The studies found that people’s extraversion scores and whether they carried…
This report describes 33 open-label treatments with the alkaloid ibogaine given for acute heroin withdrawal in non-medical settings. In 25 of the 33 people, visible signs of opioid withdrawal stopped within 24 hours and stayed absent during 72 hours of observation. The authors note the results are from uncontrolled, non-clinical…
This page describes ibogaine as a plant-derived psychedelic that some researchers are studying for addiction, depression, and PTSD. It says ibogaine can cause strong hallucinations that start within hours and may last up to 24 hours. The page reports some studies and a 2022 review that suggest ibogaine may reduce…
Psychological Types is C. G. Jung’s book that grew from about twenty years of his clinical work. It explains his idea that people have different psychological types—most famously introversion and extraversion—and describes four basic functions (thinking, feeling, sensation, intuition). Jung wrote the book to link his clinical observations with wider…
Many studies show that physical exercise helps brain health and can slow age-related thinking problems and lower the risk of some brain diseases and psychiatric disorders. A key part of these benefits is higher levels of the brain protein BDNF, which supports new brain cells and plasticity for learning and…
This study in rodents and in neuronal cell cultures found that ketamine and its antidepressant metabolite (2R,6R)-HNK rapidly lower neuronally released glutamate in brain regions linked to depression. Using fast glutamate sensors (FAST), isolated synapses, and primary cortical neurons, the authors showed reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release within 30 minutes after…
In this rat study, animals got a single injection of ibogaine at 20 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg and the researchers measured three neurotrophic factors (GDNF, BDNF, NGF) in four brain regions (VTA, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra) at 3 and 24 hours. The main changes appeared at 24 hours:…
A descriptive open-label observational study of ibogaine in people with opioid use disorder found the drug can produce clear but reversible heart and nervous-system side effects. Reported effects included QTc prolongation (a change in the heart’s electrical timing), slow heart rate (bradycardia), and severe problems with balance and coordination (ataxia).…
Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps control many behaviors. This paper reviews research showing that the fats in the outer layer of nerve cells — the cell membrane — can change how the proteins that make, store, release, and detect serotonin work. Those fat–protein interactions are not fixed. They…
This paper reviews what medicines have been tested to treat methamphetamine use disorder in animals and people. The authors say there are still no approved drugs that reliably cut cravings or help people stop using meth. Some medicines helped in animal tests but did not lower meth use in people,…
This paper outlines the structure and function of the "positive valence system," a set of brain and body processes that create positive or rewarding responses. It explains how an ascending arousal system senses bodily changes, activates motivational states, and links those states with sensory inputs to produce Pavlovian learning, emotional…
