scholarly journals Baseline Power of Theta Oscillations Predicts Mystical-Type Experiences Induced by DMT in a Natural Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Tagliazucchi ◽  
Federico Zamberlan ◽  
Federico Cavanna ◽  
Laura de la Fuente ◽  
Celeste Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Neural Oscillations ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
State Of Mind

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a classic psychedelic capable of inducing short-lasting but profound changes in consciousness. As with other psychedelics, the experience induced by DMT strongly depends upon contextual factors, yet the neurobiological determinants of this variability remain unknown. The present study investigated changes in neural oscillations elicited by inhaled DMT, and whether baseline electroencephalography (EEG) recordings could predict the subjective effects reported by the participants. Healthy volunteers (N = 35) were measured with EEG before and during the acute effects of DMT consumed in a natural setting. Source-localized neural oscillations were correlated with the results of multiple questionnaires employed to assess the subjective effects of the drug. DMT resulted in a marked reduction of alpha and beta oscillations, and increased posterior spectral power in the delta, theta and gamma bands. The power of fronto-temporal theta oscillations was inversely correlated with scales indexing feelings of unity and transcendence, which are an integral part of the phenomenology of mystical-type experiences. The robustness of these results was supported using a machine learning model for regression trained and tested following a cross-validation procedure. These results are consistent with the observation that the state of mind prior to consuming a psychedelic drug influences the ensuing subjective experience of the user. They also suggest that baseline EEG screenings before administration of a serotonergic psychedelic could be useful to estimate the likelihood of inducing mystical-type experiences, previously linked to sustained positive effects in well-being and improved outcome of therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals Baseline power of theta oscillations predicts mystical-type experiences induced by DMT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Tagliazucchi ◽  
Federico Zamberlan ◽  
Federico Cavanna ◽  
Laura de la Fuente ◽  
Celeste Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Source Imaging ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Validation Procedure ◽  
Psychedelic Drug

AbstractN,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a classic psychedelic capable of inducing short-lasting but profound changes in consciousness. As with other psychedelics, the experience induced by DMT strongly depends upon contextual factors, yet the neurobiological determinants of this variability remain unknown. We combined wireless electroencephalography and source imaging to map changes in neural oscillations elicited by inhaled DMT. Furthermore, we found that the power of frontal and temporal theta oscillations was inversely correlated with scales indexing feelings of unity and transcendence, which are an integral part of the phenomenology of mystical-type experiences. Finally, we established the robustness of these results using a machine learning model for regression trained and tested following a cross-validation procedure. Our results are consistent with the observation that the state of mind prior to consuming a psychedelic drug influences the ensuing subjective experience of the user. We also suggest that priming subjects to reduce their theta power before administration of a serotonergic psychedelic could enhance the likelihood of inducing mystical-type experiences, leading to sustained positive effects in well-being and improving the outcome of therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals Exploring the influence of body awareness on instrumental sound

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Dora ◽  
Simone Conforti ◽  
Angelika Güsewell
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Head Region ◽  
String Instruments ◽  
Body Mapping ◽  
Feldenkrais Method ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Post Hoc

Results from recent research have demonstrated positive effects of somatic approaches, such as the Feldenkrais Method, somaesthetics, and body mapping in the field of music. However, the direct impact of such approaches on instrumental sound has not been studied so far. The present pilot study was thus designed to investigate the influence of non-judgmental body awareness on the sound of high string instruments. Eleven students of the music universities of Neuchâtel and Lausanne were requested to sense specific parts of their body while playing one long note. The analysis of audio recordings and interviews conducted post hoc show a positive correlation between the subjective experience of ease participants reported, and objective sound volume or stability. The largest effects were observed when participants were aware of their pelvis, rib cage or head region. Increases of sound volume or stability were often accompanied by non-voluntary changes in body-weight distribution, indicating that body awareness had a direct influence on the musculoskeletal system. In view of the reportedly high numbers of playing-related health problems in professional orchestra players, more research should be carried out to examine in detail possible effects of body awareness on instrumental sound and on psychological and physical well-being.

ERPs and Neural Oscillations during Volitional Suppression of Memory Retrieval

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1624-1633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Eliot Depue ◽  
Nick Ketz ◽  
Matthew V. Mollison ◽  
Erika Nyhus ◽  
Marie T. Banich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Neural Oscillations ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Theta Power ◽  
Eeg Spectral Power

Although investigations of memory and the dynamics of ERP components and neural oscillations as assessed through EEG have been well utilized, little research into the volitional nature of suppression over memory retrieval have used these methods. Oscillation analyses conducted on the Think/No-Think (TNT) task and volitional suppression of retrieval are of interest to broaden our knowledge of neural oscillations associated not only during successful memory retrieval but also when retrieval is unwanted or suppressed. In the current study, we measured EEG during a TNT task and performed ERP and EEG spectral power band analyses. ERP results replicated other researchers' observations of increases in 500–800 msec parietal effects for items where retrieval was instructed to be elaborated compared with being suppressed. Furthermore, EEG analyses indicated increased alpha (8–12 Hz) and theta (3–8 Hz) oscillations across parietal electrodes for items that were instructed to be suppressed versus those to be elaborated. Additionally, during the second half of the experiment (after repeated attempts at control), increases in theta oscillations were found across both frontal and parietal electrodes for items that were instructed to be suppressed and that were ultimately forgotten versus those ultimately remembered. Increased alpha power for items that were instructed to be suppressed versus elaborated may indicate reductions of retrieval attempts or lack of retrieval success. Increased theta power for items that were instructed to be suppressed versus elaborated may indicate increased or prolonged cognitive control to monitor retrieval events.

scholarly journals Gaining Autonomy & Medication Management (GAM): new perspectives on well-being, quality of life and psychiatric medication

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 2879-2887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourdes Rodriguez del Barrio ◽  
Céline Cyr ◽  
Lisa Benisty ◽  
Pierrette Richard
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Treatment Interruptions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Distinguishing Features

Autonomous Medication Management (GAM) is an innovative approach developed in partnership with medication users. It takes their subjective experience into account and strives to place the individual at the center of pharmacological treatment in psychiatry with a view to improving well-being and quality of life. It creates spaces of open dialogue on the issue of medication amongst users, physicians and their family and friends. This article is derived from a research study and presents the principles, practices and main impacts of GAM on how people relate to their medications and the physicians who prescribe them. The major positive effects were the users' clearer understanding of their experience of taking psychiatric medication and their rights, the reduction or elimination of sudden and unsupervised treatment interruptions and the users' sense of having more control over their treatment. It includes inner experience and life, an improved relationship with professionals and space for negotiation with the physician and, lastly, changes to prescriptions that significantly improved well-being and recovery. The distinguishing features of GAM are described and compared with other approaches, giving a voice to people who take medication.

scholarly journals Microevidence for microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of subjective effects, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Cavanna ◽  
Stephanie Muller ◽  
Laura Alethia de la Fuente ◽  
Federico Zamberlan ◽  
Matías Palmucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Acute Effects ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Active Dose

AbstractThe use of low sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics (“microdosing”) has gained popularity in recent years. Although anecdotal reports claim multiple benefits associated with this practice, the lack of placebo-controlled studies limits our knowledge of microdosing and its effects. Moreover, research conducted in laboratory settings might fail to capture the motivation of individuals engaged in microdosing protocols. We recruited 34 individuals planning to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), one of the materials most frequently used for this purpose. Following a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we investigated the effects of 0.5 g dried mushrooms on subjective experience, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity. The reported acute effects were significantly more intense for the active dose compared to the placebo, which could be explained by unblinding. For the other measurements, we observed either null effects or a trend towards cognitive impairment and, in the case of EEG, towards reduced theta band spectral power. Our findings support the possibility that expectation effects underlie at least some of the anecdotal benefits attributed to microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms.

Hormonal contraception as a method of social adaptation of women in modern society

GYNECOLOGY ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Tatyana Yu Pestrikova ◽  
Elena A Yurasova ◽  
Igor V Yurasov ◽  
Tamara D Kovaleva
Keyword(s):  
Ethinyl Estradiol ◽  
Hormonal Contraception ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptives ◽  
Aim Analysis ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Chlormadinone Acetate

Relevance. Currently, women make up more than 40% of the global workforce and more than half of students studying at universities around the world. Women's education, especially at a high level, tends to increase female employment. The mismatch of the style and rhythm of modern life with a genetically determined and working millennium reproductive program requires the choice of a specific approach to social adaptation. Aim. Analysis of literary sources on the use of hormonal contraception as a method of social adaptation. Materials and methods. To write this review, domestic and foreign publications were searched in Russian and international search systems (PubMed, eLibrary, etc.) for the last 2-10 years. The review included articles from peer-reviewed literature. Results. The review describes the features of modern hormonal contraceptives. Their non-contraceptive effects are presented. The individual non-contraceptive effects of a combined oral contraceptive containing 30 mg of ethinyl estradiol and 2 mg of chlormadinone acetate were determined. It has been established that the use of this contraceptive helps to improve the well-being and mood of patients, which allows you to actively use this contraceptive in routine clinical practice with premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, without the use of analgesics. Conclusions. The numerous positive effects of ethinyl estradiol and chlormadinone acetate allow the use of the drug as a means to increase social adaptation, and, consequently, improve the quality of life.

scholarly journals Transition from Emotional to Rational Advertising for Food Products on the Romanian Market

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
A.F. Jităreanu ◽  
Elena Leonte ◽  
A. Chiran ◽  
Benedicta Drobotă
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Brand Advertising ◽  
Tangible Evidence ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Advertising helps to establish a set of assumptions that the consumer will bring to all other aspects of their engagement with a given brand. Advertising provides tangible evidence of the financial credibility and competitive presence of an organization. Persuasion is becoming more important in advertising. In marketing, persuasive advertising acts to establish wants/motivations and beliefs/attitudes by helping to formulate a conception of the brand as being one which people like those in the target audience would or should prefer. Considering the changes in lifestyle and eating habits of a significant part of the population in urban areas in Romania, the paper aims to analyse how brands manage to differentiate themselves from competitors, to reposition themselves on the market and influence consumers, meeting their increasingly varied needs. Food brands on the Romanian market are trying, lately, to identify new methods of differentiation and new benefits for their buyers. Given that more and more consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about what they eat and the products’ health effects, brands struggle to highlight the fact that their products offer real benefits for the body. The advertisements have become more diversified and underline the positive effects, from the health and well - being point of view, that those foods offer (no additives and preservatives, use of natural ingredients, various vitamins and minerals or the fact that they are dietary). Advertising messages’ diversification is obvious on the Romanian market, in the context of an increasing concern of the population for the growing level of information of some major consumer segments.

scholarly journals Effects of Evocative Audio-Visual Installations on the Restorativeness in Urban Parks

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8328
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Masullo ◽  
Luigi Maffei ◽  
Aniello Pascale ◽  
Vincenzo Paolo Senese ◽  
Simona De Stefano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Urban Parks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Experimental Laboratory

Road traffic noise is responsible for several negative health effects for citizens in modern cities. Inside urban parks, which citizens use for social inclusion and cohesion, psychological and physical restoration, and physical activities, road traffic noise may significantly reduce the potential of these places to induce or enhance well-being. Although access restriction schemes and screens could be effective solutions to limit noise inside urban park areas, preserving their potential regenerative role may engender mobility, social, aesthetic, and architectural issues. Due to the positive effects that natural elements and water sounds can have on human perception, and based on the previous findings of the beneficial effects of audio-visual installations, this paper investigates the possibility of using audio-visual installations that simply evoke some natural features to improve the restoration of individuals inside urban parks. The study has been carried out using immersive virtual environments in two different experimental laboratory sessions in Hong Kong (China) and Aversa (Italy). The results showed that the positive effects provided by evocative installations were similar to those provided by traditional installations. Furthermore, the effects on the restoration increased as the installations became larger and included enveloping shapes. Furthermore, we found that the amount of evocative water installations’ material was responsible for changes in restoration. In contrast, the Chinese groups were less influenced by these installations.

scholarly journals Sounding It Out: Auditory Stimulation and Overnight Memory Processing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus O. Harrington ◽  
Scott A. Cairney
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Auditory Stimulation ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Neural Oscillations ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Eeg Recordings

Abstract Purpose of Review Auditory stimulation is a technique that can enhance neural oscillations linked to overnight memory consolidation. In this review, we evaluate the impacts of auditory stimulation on the neural oscillations of sleep and associated memory processes in a variety of populations. Recent Findings Cortical EEG recordings of slow-wave sleep (SWS) are characterised by two cardinal oscillations: slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles. Auditory stimulation delivered in SWS enhances SOs and phase-coupled spindle activity in healthy children and adults, children with ADHD, adults with mild cognitive impairment and patients with major depression. Under certain conditions, auditory stimulation bolsters the benefits of SWS for memory consolidation, although further work is required to fully understand the factors affecting stimulation-related memory gains. Recent work has turned to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, demonstrating that auditory stimulation can be used to manipulate REM sleep theta oscillations. Summary Auditory stimulation enhances oscillations linked to overnight memory processing and shows promise as a technique for enhancing the memory benefits of sleep.

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