Exploring the Mind: Neurological Innovations, Psychedelic Science, and Consciousness Recovery

Scientists are studying brain activity to understand communication patterns linked to neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. A promising treatment, adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS), helps alleviate symptoms by delivering electrical pulses in response to abnormal brain signals. Unlike traditional DBS, which provides constant stimulation, aDBS adjusts in real time based on the patient’s needs. This approach could lead to more precise, effective, and personalized treatments, improving the quality of life for patients with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. Advances in this field are bringing us closer to a future where brain therapies are tailored to individual needs.

Psychedelic substances are able to alter our mindset and experience, and they have been part of rituals in our ancient cultures. However, political events in the 20th century led to the criminalization of psychedelics, creating negative stereotypes about their use. In modern times, science started rethinking the potential of psychedelics as less harmful and more beneficial to our health. We still have a long way to completely uncover the health value of psychedelics, but research in this decade has paved the way for changing the legal status of psychedelics and encouraging their use for therapeutic purposes of certain psychiatric diseases.

Predicting coma outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) is an integral part of post-resuscitation care for comatose patients. The integrity of the auditory network, assessed via electroencephalography (EEG) is informative of coma severity. We use AI-based techniques to accurately predict outcome of comatose patients, based on auditory evoked potentials measured with EEG within the first 24 hours post-CA. However, the first days of post-CA coma represent a volatile yet underexplored state, as neural functions drastically change over time. These dynamics we explore with markers related to neural synchrony and complexity within the first days post-CA.