Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

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18 papers

Cultures and Selves

Hazel Rose Markus, Shinobu Kitayama

This article reviews theory and research on how people and cultures shape each other. It defines the self as the “me” at the center of experience — a developing sense of awareness and agency that forms as a person (both brain and body) becomes tuned to different environments. The authors…

Cultural Differences and Values Social and Intergroup Psychology Social Representations and Identity

Multisensory brain mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness

Olaf Blanke
Nature reviews. Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2012 1,131 citations

This review says our sense of being a body comes from the brain combining many body signals. It describes three parts of bodily self-consciousness: self-identification (feeling a body is mine), self-location (where I feel I am), and the first-person perspective (the point from which I see). Experiments that create mismatched…

Action Observation and Synchronization Multisensory perception and integration Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

Neuroscience of human social interactions and adult attachment style

Pascal Vrtička, Patrik Vuilleumier
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2012 281 citations

Attachment theory, described about 40 years ago, explains stable ways people form close bonds. This review sums up brain imaging and cognitive studies that link adult attachment styles (secure, avoidant, anxious, resolved/unresolved) to how people feel about and think about others. It proposes that attachment style shapes quick judgments of…

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder: Etiology, Clinical Features, and Therapeutic Perspectives

Giovanni Martinotti, Rita Santacroce, Mauro Pettorruso, Chiara Montemitro, Maria Spanò, Marco Lorusso, et al.
Brain Sciences Summary & key facts 2018 166 citations

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, or HPPD, is a rare condition tied to using hallucinogenic drugs. People with HPPD keep having changes in how they see things after the drug wears off. It is diagnosed more often in people who already had mental health problems or problems with drug use, but…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Other

Perception of self and other in major depression.

Michael A. Gara, Robert L. Woolfolk, Bertram D. Cohen, Ruth B. Goldston, et al
Journal of Abnormal Psychology Summary & key facts 1993 116 citations

Researchers asked people with major depression and people without psychiatric disorders to write open, free descriptions of themselves and of other people. Compared with the control group, the depressed group named fewer positive traits and more negative traits for themselves and for parents and close others. A clustering analysis also…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Mental Health Research Topics

When body and mind are talking. Interoception moderates embodied cognition

Michael Häfner
PubMed Summary & key facts 2013 51 citations

This paper reports two experiments that tested whether people’s awareness of internal body signals (interoception) changes how physical sensations shape thinking. Interoception means sensitivity to signals coming from inside the body. Experiment 1 used a body‑awareness questionnaire and Experiment 2 used a heartbeat perception task. Both experiments found that interoception…

Action Observation and Synchronization Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Narcissism and Romantic Relationships

Joshua D. Foster, Amy B. Brunell
link.springer.com Summary & key facts 2018 38 citations

This book chapter reviews research about how grandiose narcissism relates to romantic relationships. It says narcissism is often linked to thoughts and actions that harm relationships, but also notes some positive or short-term advantages like first-impression charm. The authors summarize both the negative and positive findings and suggest topics and…

Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior Personality Disorders and Psychopathology Personality Traits and Psychology

On Perception and Consciousness in HPPD: A Systematic Review

Pieter J. Vis, Anna E. Goudriaan, Bastiaan C. ter Meulen, Jan Dirk Blom
Frontiers in Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2021 37 citations

Researchers read through 66 published case reports and case series about a condition called hallucinogen‑persisting perception disorder, or HPPD. Together the reports described about 100 people and 64 different perceptual problems. The review found that HPPD often involves many kinds of symptoms, not just the classic visual "flashbacks," and that…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Other

Impact of body-positive social media content on body image perception

Ana Jiménez-García, Natalia Arias, Elena Picazo Hontanaya, Ana Sanz, Olivia García-Velasco
Journal of Eating Disorders Summary & key facts 2025 19 citations

This review and meta-analysis looked at studies up to 2024 on body-positive social media content. It reviewed 56 studies (19 were left out of the meta-analysis for bad or missing data). Overall, short-term exposure to body-positive posts was linked to better body satisfaction and improved mood, especially when posts showed…

Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior Diverse Topics in Contemporary Research Eating Disorders and Behaviors

The Impact of Social Media on Body Image Perception in Young People

Natalia Czubaj, Martyna Szymańska, Beata Nowak, Mateusz Grajek
Nutrients Summary & key facts 2025 13 citations

This study surveyed 211 young adults about exposure to “fitspiration” or athletic images on social media and how that related to their body esteem. It found 37% of participants said such images lowered their self-esteem, with women more likely to report this (p = 0.004) and gender also linked to…

Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior Eating Disorders and Behaviors Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Multisensory Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Sayaka Kawakami, Sadao Otsuka
Exon Publications eBooks Summary & key facts 2021 11 citations

Researchers find that many people with autism process information from more than one sense differently, especially sound and sight. Studies report atypical audio-visual integration for both social cues (like faces and voices) and simple cues (like flashes and beeps). Some work links these differences to basic timing of perception and…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Multisensory perception and integration Tactile and Sensory Interactions

Association between parents’ perceived social support and children’s psychological adjustment: a cross-sectional study

Rikuya Hosokawa, Toshiki Katsura
BMC Pediatrics Summary & key facts 2024 10 citations

This cross-sectional study in Nagoya, Japan looked at parents of 13–14 year olds and found that parents who reported stronger social support tended to have children with fewer emotional and behavioral problems and more prosocial behavior. The researchers analyzed 602 valid responses and included 536 families in the main analysis.…

Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Family and Disability Support Research Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
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