Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, have discovered that heart rate deceleration within the first 45 seconds of brain stimulation predicts treatment success in major depression up to six weeks later. The study of 75 patients found that monitoring cardiac responses during transcranial magnetic stimulation could help clinicians identify which patients will benefit most from treatment. Roberto Goya-Maldonado and colleagues at the University Medical Center Göttingen published these findings, demonstrating a potential biomarker for personalizing depression therapy.

A comprehensive peer-reviewed viewpoint published in Psychedelics examines how psychedelic substances could transform treatment approaches for stress-related psychiatric disorders. Xiaohui Wang from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences,  analyze neurobiological mechanisms including serotonin 2A receptor activation, neuroplasticity enhancement, and inflammation reduction. The authors propose psychedelics address root causes rather than symptoms alone, offering hope for treatment-resistant conditions.

A groundbreaking Genomic Press interview explores Dr. Najaf Amin's innovative approach to depression genetics at Oxford University. The internationally acclaimed researcher has identified novel metabolites, rare gene variants, and systemic pathways that expand current understanding of depression's biological underpinnings. Her discoveries, including the RCL1 gene mutation, 124 depression-linked metabolites and 13 types of gut bacteria, provide new insights into the multifactorial nature of this prevalent psychiatric disorder and suggest potential avenues for more targeted therapeutic approaches.

A comprehensive peer-reviewed invited review published in Psychedelics examines the therapeutic potential of MDMA across psychiatric conditions, synthesizing evidence from PTSD trials to emerging applications in autism and eating disorders. The authors identify gut-brain axis mechanisms underlying resilience enhancement while addressing critical safety considerations including hyponatremia and neurotoxicity risks. This synthesis provides clinicians and researchers with an integrated framework for understanding MDMA-assisted therapy as regulatory decisions evolve.

The research team led by Dr. Byung Chul Lee at the Bionics Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Sang-Rok Oh), in collaboration with Prof. Jae-Woong Jeong at KAIST (President Kwang-Hyung Lee), Prof. Whal Lee at Seoul National University Hospital (Director Young-Tae Kim), and Prof. Pierre T. Khuri-Yakub at Stanford University (President Jonathan Levin), announced the development of a silicon-based disposable eco-friendly ultrasound patch. This achievement marks the first realization of superior performance beyond conventional high-cost lead-based ultrasound transducers without using lead at all.