Does the combination of psychedelics and meditation enhance mystical experiences?

Researchers assessed whether combining psychedelics with meditation increases mindfulness, compassion, insight, and mystical-type transcendence to a higher degree than meditation with a placebo.

Health professionals' responses to stress in critical care scenarios and the risk of burnout

A study assessed the psychobiological functioning of 27 Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical doctors and paramedics, stressing the importance of recovery periods.

Are psi researchers more like lay believers or sceptics?

A study shows that academics who work with psi differ from lay psi individuals, but not from sceptics, in actively open-minded thinking.

Does belief in the paranormal make us more vulnerable to stress?

The idea that belief in the paranormal is associated with maladaptive psychological processes has been widely challenged by recent studies. These studies suggest that, in the absence of specific predispositions, such as high levels of transliminality (an increased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli) and traits associated with psychopathology (such as schizotypy and manic-depressive tendencies), the belief in the paranormal does not compromise psychological adjustment or well-being. However, it remains an open question whether different types of paranormal belief, namely Traditional Paranormal Belief (TPB, linked to cultural and social notions of control by supernatural forces) and New Age Philosophy (NAP, associated with more individual and spiritual concerns), can lead to variations in the way they influence the perception of well-being and psychological adjustment. In the scope of project 123/20 - A latent profile analysis and structural equation modelling of paranormal belief, psychopathological symptoms, and well-being, supported by the BIAL Foundation and led by Neil Dagnall, the research team conducted a study exploring whether TPB and NAP are differentially associated with perceived stress (a variable often used in studies in the field as an indicator of well-being). The results indicated that TPB was significantly associated with higher levels of distress and a reduced capacity for coping. In contrast, NAP showed no predictive association. These findings suggest that TPB may reflect a reduced perception of control over external factors, increasing susceptibility to stress, whereas NAP, due to its focus on more individual concerns, does not appear to contribute to these dynamics. Thus, understanding the functional differences between these beliefs is essential to addressing the psychological impact of belief in the paranormal. This study was published in the journal PLOS ONE, in the article Re-evaluation of the relationship between paranormal belief and perceived stress using statistical modelling.

Nuno Grande Doctoral Scholarship 2024: applications are open

Applications are now open for the Nuno Grande Doctoral Scholarship 2024, worth €25,000. Candidates must, at the time of application submission, be enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Medical Sciences at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS). The applications are open until January 17, 2025.

How do psychedelics influence social cognition?

Psychedelics have sparked interest as potential treatments for social cognition deficits commonly associated with the autism spectrum and social anxiety. Previous studies have shown that psychedelics modulate social processing by altering emotion recognition in facial expressions, joint attention in social interactions, perspective-taking, and empathy. The evidence suggests that the effect may be linked to their impact on social cognition networks. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this impact remain poorly understood. The research team led by Miguel Castelo-Branco conducted a pharmacological study investigating the effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (psychedelic DMT) on functional connectivity in brain regions relevant to social cognition, using a within-subject design. The results supported the hypothesis that DMT induces changes in functional connectivity in brain regions relevant to social cognition, as well as in areas associated with emotion and affective value. Furthermore, changes in connectivity strength were correlated with increases in self-reported psychedelic effects. These correlations highlight the relationship between DMT’s neural effects on socioemotional circuits and subjective experiences. These findings offer insights into the effects of psychedelics on social behaviour, with implications for disorders like social anxiety and depression. Simultaneously, they suggest that increased connectivity, rather than reduced activity, plays a crucial role in psychedelic states. Thus, these results advance our understanding of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and their effects on the "social brain". This study was supported by the BIAL Foundation, in the scope of the research project 252/18 - Spiritual states induced by ayahuasca, and the involvement of the reward system, and published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, in the article Increased functional connectivity between brain regions involved in social cognition, emotion and affective-value in psychedelic states induced by N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT).