Psychopharmacology

People who were more resilient before an ayahuasca retreat reported somewhat more intense challenging experiences, a study of retreat guests in Costa Rica and Peru finds. For them, those challenges were also more closely tied to searching for meaning.

A new study in healthy mice reveals that the popular weight-loss drug semaglutide alters behavior and brain activity related to reward and stress, shifting how animals pursue natural rewards and react to stressful situations.

A study in rats suggests MDMA can prevent the rise in alcohol intake that follows trauma-like stress, but only in animals genetically predisposed to drink heavily. The effect did not appear to depend on changes in fear.

Why do some people with depression respond to medication while others don't? A small study points to the brain's outer layer, finding that the folding complexity and thickness of certain cortical regions tracked how much patients improved.

By mapping brain activity like a moving weather system, researchers found that psychedelics consistently reduce the upward flow of sensory information into higher-order brain regions, offering new biological clues into how these drugs alter human consciousness.

A clinical trial found that combining specialized meaning reconstruction therapy with the psychedelic brew ayahuasca helped bereaved individuals experience greater reductions in severe grief symptoms compared to those receiving therapy alone.

When people stop taking antidepressants, a sudden wave of anxiety or depression can feel like a devastating setback. But new research suggests these emotional spikes are usually a temporary physical withdrawal reaction, rather than a true relapse.

A groundbreaking brain imaging study in awake rats reveals that the psychedelic mescaline uniquely alters brain function. The drug reduces cerebellum activity while boosting global connectivity, shifting how the brain processes rewards and filters sensory information.

A new study reveals that psilocybin and standard antidepressants both reduce the brain's tendency to misinterpret facial expressions as negative. The research suggests these two distinct treatments share a common cognitive effect in the fight against depression.

Patients with treatment-resistant depression who experienced feelings of unreality during subcutaneous esketamine therapy were more likely to see their depression symptoms improve, suggesting dissociation may be tied to the drug's effectiveness rather than just a side effect.

An experimental brain cancer treatment using a modified measles virus becomes more effective in mice when combined with a common antidepressant, which helps release trapped immune cells from the bone marrow to fight the tumor.

A sweeping new study of nearly 8,700 brain scans found that subtle structural differences in people taking antidepressants are mostly explained by the severity of their illness and their age, rather than the medications themselves.

A quick brain wave test may soon help doctors predict if a patient will experience sexual side effects from antidepressants. Measuring serotonin activity before treatment could guide medication choices and improve the quality of life for patients with depression.