Mindfully Healing

The most well-known effect of this drink confirmed by research. Alcohol produces the neural and molecular changes of a rapid antidepressant, new research concludes. The drug lifts depression for up to 24 hours due to its effect on the brain’s chemistry. Naturally, the study’s authors were quick to warn against self-medication. Dr Kimberly Raab-Graham, the study’s first author, said: “Because of the high comorbidity between major depressive disorder and alcoholism there is the widely recognized self-medication hypothesis, suggesting that depressed individuals may turn to drinking as a means to treat

The first study to show higher brain-signal diversity than normal when people are awake. Neuroscientists have found that the brain enters a ‘higher state of consciousness’ under the influence of psychedelic drugs. People given psilocybin, ketamine and LSD under controlled conditions displayed more diverse neural signalling — a measure of the complexity of brain activity. This is the first study to show higher brain-signal diversity than normal when people are awake. Professor Anil Seth, one of the study’s authors, said: “This finding shows that the brain-on-psychedelics behaves very differently from