Free Republic

In a nutshell One dose of a psychedelic compound (25CN-NBOH) significantly improved cognitive flexibility in mice, even 2 to 3 weeks after the drug was administered. Treated mice adapted better to new learning rules in a reversal task, showing stronger performance across multiple behavioral measures compared to controls. These long-lasting effects suggest psychedelics may promote meaningful, enduring changes in brain plasticity, offering potential new approaches for treating conditions like depression, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A single dose of a psychedelic compound could be key to helping your brain become more adaptable for weeks. University of Michigan...

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. I think many readers of this article will respond with outrage, and many will see it says things they already knew to be true—and I think these two groups will largely overlap. The most powerful obstacle to confronting a destructive addiction is denial, and collectively we are in denial about pornography. Since it seems somehow relevant, let me state at the outset that I am French. Every fiber of my Latin, Catholic body recoils at puritanism of any sort, especially the bizarre, Anglo-Puritan kind so prevalent in America. I...

"We saw this area explode last year," says Mr. Fernandez. He estimates that consumers spent more than $80 million in 2008 on mental fitness. "You have an industry with tools and coaches. This is more real than people think." The industry pins its claims for brain exercise on a relatively new scientific discovery: neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to rewire itself throughout life by creating neural connections in response to mental activity. In a study published in 2006 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a clinical trial involving 2,832 older adults concluded that "cognitive training" -- such as identifying...