The US Food and Drug Administration today held a public hearing on the possible future therapeutic use of psychedelic medicines. With federal partners, it examined evidence, safety, care models and patients.

A Nature study examines long-range inhibitory cortical Sst-Chodl neurons in mice. Stimulating them slows and synchronises neocortical activity, aiding sleep onset and increasing its duration.

In people with disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury, integration between brain regions is associated with behavioural signs. A model using network and clinical data reached a PR-AUC of 0.84 for long-term neurological recovery.

The Michigan Medicine study compared fMRI data from LSD, psilocybin and nitrous oxide with sleep and propofol sedation.

Psychedelic states increase functional connectivity, integration and the complexity of brain interactions; sleep and anaesthesia reduce them.

Analysed moment by moment, brain activity under psilocybin does not simply appear more disordered. The observed configurations are linked to the subjective intensity of feeling less separate from the environment; they are not clinical guidance.

The new analysis separates metaphysical claims from experimental criteria. It does not conclude that current AI systems are conscious: biology can neither prove nor rule this out, but it can guide research into the processing dynamics required for experience…

The authors link travelling neural waves to rapid analogue computations and global integration across the cortex. The theory has yet to be tested directly and is not conclusive proof.

The model shifts attention from the brain-body divide to the processes that coordinate them. It connects phenomenology and physiology, offering testable hypotheses on emotion, the sense of self and altered states of consciousness.

Researchers observed more precise breathing–brain coupling than measures based on respiratory rate alone. The finding may help explain how breathing modulates experience and respiratory arrests in epilepsy.

A Danish study has validated the Danish version of the Near-Death Experience Content Scale. In the sample, it showed excellent internal consistency (α=0.92) and a five-factor structure.

At Cova de les Dones, Roman archaeological evidence has been interpreted as a possible rock-cut sanctuary. It does not prove the identity of the deity, the nature of the rite, or exclusive participation by women; the primary source is missing.

Published as a data resource, the database pairs sleep EEG with dream reports collected on waking, enabling independent replication and comparisons between theories of consciousness, overcoming the limitations of…

A study in mice shows that physical activity causes astrocytes to contract, favouring the formation of new neurons.

A Nature review discusses how AI, psychology and philosophy have overlooked the role of the body in consciousness.

Analysis of nearly 30,000 people shows that calm, not excitement, is the strongest predictor of life satisfaction.

A cultural essay explores whether believing in fate makes people happier, or whether meaning lies in concrete things.

Franziska Oertle describes her work teaching and passing on the Tibetan language amid cultural erosion.

A psychological review shows that what is labelled addiction often reflects emotional distress or religious guilt, rather than genuine addiction.

A neuroimaging study shows neural synchrony between people with similar political views while listening to topics such as immigration.

An essay in Aeon examines how food restriction in women carries an under-recognised cognitive price.

A study of a low-to-middle-income population finds that superficial white matter can compensate for age-related grey matter loss.

A new study shows that each neuron processes information independently through hundreds of dendritic branches, multiplying the brain's estimated computational capacity.

An essay on Mary Astell and Catharine Macaulay, who refused to remain polite in debates with male power.

A scientific review examines the mechanisms by which psychedelics alter sensory perception in relation to environmental context.

Young adults treated with imagery-based therapy show lasting reductions in fear, guilt and stress linked to childhood criticism.

A meta-analysis shows MDMA produces a sustained release of oxytocin, a mechanism linked to empathy in psychiatric therapy.

New research suggests travelling electrical waves in the brain help build perception and memory, rather than acting as mere background activity.

An opinion piece proposes that moral judgements serve to reduce the brain's cognitive effort.

A study on brain organoids grown for five years reveals activity patterns consistent with the perception of elapsed time.