All posts tagged: alter

Low doses of LSD alter emotional brain responses in people with mild depression

Low doses of LSD alter emotional brain responses in people with mild depression

Published by José Betancourt

A new study suggests that low doses of the psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, can enhance how the human brain processes emotional rewards. The research, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, points to specific shifts in electrical brain activity following the administration of a small dose in patients experiencing mild depression. These neural changes corresponded with an improved mood that lasted for days after the initial exposure. For years, public interest has grown around the practice of taking very small, barely perceptible amounts of psychedelic drugs. Often referred to as microdosing, this habit is frequently touted by advocates as a way to elevate mood, enhance creativity, and improve mental focus. Taking tiny amounts of LSD every few days has become especially popular among those seeking alternative ways to manage depression. Yet proving the benefits of microdosing under controlled laboratory conditions has proven difficult. Subjective self-reported mood questionnaires sometimes fail to capture subtle biological changes happening beneath the surface. To bypass these limitations, researchers are turning to direct measurements of electrical activity …

Brain scans shed light on how short videos impair memory and alter neural pathways

Brain scans shed light on how short videos impair memory and alter neural pathways

Published by José Betancourt

Watching fragmented short videos rather than a single continuous video leads to poorer memory recall and alters how the brain retrieves information. A recent experiment revealed that fast-paced episodic media formats disrupt the neural systems responsible for integrating details and maintaining cognitive control. These results were published in the journal npj Science of Learning. Media consumption has shifted dramatically toward bite-sized content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. This explosion of fast-paced entertainment has inspired intense public debate about its effects on the human mind. The term “brain rot” became a widely recognized phrase recently to describe the mental fatigue associated with scrolling through endless disconnected clips. The phenomenon has prompted parents and policymakers to question whether modern internet platforms are structurally altering human cognition. Psychologists and educators are particularly interested in how this type of media affects memory retention and focused learning. Many schools and training programs have recently adopted short instructional videos to boost student engagement. Despite the popularity of these micro-learning tools, research displays a conflicting picture of their mental benefits. …

Earth’s distance from the Sun found to dramatically alter seasons

Earth’s distance from the Sun found to dramatically alter seasons

Published by Jenni Sidey

A strip of cool water stretches west from South America along the equator, helping set the pace for some of the planet’s most important weather swings. That Pacific “cold tongue” helps steer the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, which can influence winter rain in California, drought in parts of Asia, and weather across much of North America. Now, a model-based study suggests that one overlooked force helps drive that cold tongue’s yearly cycle: the changing distance between Earth and the sun. That idea may sound odd at first, since the seasons are usually explained by Earth’s axial tilt, not by the slight oval shape of its orbit. Yet the new work, published in Nature, argues that this distance effect is not a small side note in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Instead, it appears to create its own annual cycle, one that combines with the better-known tilt effect and changes the timing and strength of the cold tongue over very long stretches of time. Schematic of the Earth’s orbital configuration. The Earth’s orbit around the Sun …

BBC Slips In ‘Mistranslated’ Propaganda To Radically Alter Hegseth Speech On Iran

BBC Slips In ‘Mistranslated’ Propaganda To Radically Alter Hegseth Speech On Iran

Published by Jenni Sidey

The BBC has been caught yet again manipulating comments from the Trump administration to radically alter their meaning.  During a March 2 press conference about the war in Iran, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the United States is bringing death to the same regime that chanted “death to America.” BBC Persia, however, substituted the word ‘people’ for ‘regime’ – fundamentally changing Hegseth’s meaning to sound like America was targeting all Iranians vs. the regime.  “It turns out the regime who chanted ‘death to America and death to Israel was gifted death from America and death from Israel,” is what Hegseth actually said.  The BBC translated the word “regime” as “mardom,” the Persian word for “people.” It later issued a correction.  The BBC “mistakenly” altered a speech by Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth on the war in Iran, making him appear to say the United States was targeting the Iranian “people”. This comes only a handful of months since they did the same to President Trump. Defund the BBC! pic.twitter.com/iezrIh5vFX — Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) March 7, 2026 …

Long-term ADHD medication use does not appear to permanently alter the developing brain

Long-term ADHD medication use does not appear to permanently alter the developing brain

Published by José Betancourt

Long-term use of stimulant medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) does not appear to cause lasting changes in brain development, according to a study published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. Medications such as methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, are widely prescribed to treat ADHD. This condition is marked by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Stimulant medications work by increasing levels of brain chemicals, particularly dopamine and noradrenaline, which help regulate attention and behavior. Although these medications are considered highly effective in the short term, scientists have long debated whether taking them during childhood while the brain is still developing might lead to lasting biological changes. Animal studies have suggested that exposure during sensitive developmental periods could alter how the brain’s dopamine system matures, raising questions about possible long-term effects. Led by Zarah van der Pal from the University of Amsterdam, researchers in the Netherlands conducted a four-year follow-up of participants who had previously taken part in a randomized controlled trial over 16 weeks. The original trial included boys and adult men with …

Can flashing light alter your mind? The science of stroboscopic stimulation

Can flashing light alter your mind? The science of stroboscopic stimulation

Published by skeptic

Light therapy sounds wholesome. Clean. Almost pastoral. Sit in front of a lamp. Feel better. In our latest episode of the Strange Health podcast, we discovered that it can also mean strapping on a flashing mask and watching your own brain generate kaleidoscopic hallucinations behind closed eyelids. The spark for this episode was a stroboscopic light device called the Lumenate Nova, promoted on social media by celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Rosamund Pike, who serves as the brand’s creative director and is also an investor. The device claims to use carefully timed pulses of light to guide users into altered, meditative states, described by the company as “sober tripping”. I was sceptical but gave it a go. “Sober tripping” sounded like a level of experimentation I could live with. After watching what looked like brightly coloured fireworks, I eventually felt as if I were surrounded by a mountainscape, basking in a warm ray of sunshine coming from the left side of my vision. I had to remind myself I was on my sofa in Doncaster …

Brain scans of Buddhist monks reveal how different meditation styles alter consciousness

Brain scans of Buddhist monks reveal how different meditation styles alter consciousness

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study reveals that different styles of meditation produce distinct, measurable changes in the background noise and structural complexity of human brain waves. By scanning the brains of expert Buddhist monks, researchers demonstrated that meditative states make brain activity more flexible and less bound to past patterns. These results were published in the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness. Meditation involves a variety of mental strategies aimed at directing attention and cultivating physical and mental well-being. Over the years, brain imaging tools have helped map the specific brain regions that activate during these practices. Researchers are still trying to understand the precise physical mechanisms that allow these mental states to alter human consciousness. Annalisa Pascarella, a researcher at the National Research Council in Italy, led a team to investigate the brain activity of highly experienced meditators. The team wanted to measure mathematical concepts like criticality and complexity in the human brain. Criticality describes a system resting perfectly on the boundary between strict order and total chaos. A brain operating near this tipping point is thought to …

Stanford researcher explains how beliefs alter physical reality

Stanford researcher explains how beliefs alter physical reality

Published by José Betancourt

PsyPost’s PodWatch highlights interesting clips from recent podcasts related to psychology and neuroscience. On Thursday, November 20, The Psychology Podcast, hosted by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, featuring Dr. Alia Crum, explored the science behind the mind-body connection. Dr. Crum is a principal investigator at the Stanford Mind & Body Lab who studies how subjective mindsets can alter objective physiological realities. The episode focused on her groundbreaking experiments regarding the placebo effect, exercise, and the biological impact of our beliefs about food. At roughly the 8-minute mark, Dr. Crum describes an experiment she conducted with hotel housekeepers to test the placebo effect outside of a clinical setting. She discovered that while these women were physically active during their shifts, they did not believe they exercised enough to be healthy. Once researchers informed the workers that their job met the Surgeon General’s fitness guidelines, the women experienced measurable drops in weight and blood pressure despite not changing their daily behaviors. The conversation shifts to diet and metabolism around the 10-minute mark, specifically focusing on the hormone ghrelin. …

White House uses AI to alter image of arrested anti-ICE protestor

White House uses AI to alter image of arrested anti-ICE protestor

Published by skeptic

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that several organizers of a recent anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church had been arrested. Soon after, The White House X account shared an image of one of the protesters, attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, being led away by law enforcement officers with tears streaming down her face. The post quickly received a Community Notes fact-check on X, which stated: “Digitally altered image. See original arrest photo here.” The Community Note also included a link to the New York Post, which shows the real version of the image, in which Armstrong is clearly not crying. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The White House’s X post includes the all-caps caption, “ARRESTED. FAR-LEFT AGITATOR NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG FOR ORCHESTRATING CHURCH RIOTS IN MINNESOTA.” Meanwhile, the X account of FBI Director Kash Patel released images of Armstrong and other arrested activists; none of them appear to be crying, though. Crooked Media journalist Matt Berg posted on X that he asked White House officials …

White House Uses AI to Alter Protester’s Face So That She’s Sobbing, Instead of Looking Brave, During Arrest

White House Uses AI to Alter Protester’s Face So That She’s Sobbing, Instead of Looking Brave, During Arrest

Published by José Betancourt

Kristi Noem / The White House via X The White House published an image on X in which the face of a protester had been altered using AI to depict her weeping during her arrest — instead of striking a stoic pose, as she actually looked during the event. The woman in the image, civil rights attorney and organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong, was arrested this week after interrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protesters were calling for the resignation of a pastor at the church, whom they say is the acting director of an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Levy Armstrong and other protesters are now being charged with federal conspiracy and intimidation charges, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Trump Administration officials have repeatedly characterized the protest as a “riot” and an attack on Christian worshipers; speaking to CNN on Wednesday before her arrest, Levy Armstrong defended the action as a “peaceful nonviolent demonstration.” On Thursday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published a photo on …