Learning & Education
Cognitive biases are prevalent human tendencies that can significantly influence how we think, make decisions, and act in various ways [1-3]. In the setting of health and wellness, these biases can have a far-reaching impact [4], both positive and negative [5].
The use of psychedelics for their potential cognitive and mental health benefits is a topic that has gained attention in recent years. Psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ketamine, and MDMA have been explored for their nootropic and psychoplastogenic properties, making them intriguing subjects for research and clinical trials.
Nicotine is a chemical compound that naturally occurs in tobacco plants. It's notorious for its addictive properties and the severe health consequences of smoking. However, when you separate nicotine from the toxic components of tobacco and view it in isolation, a different narrative emerges.
Research from the turn of the century proposed that reduced forms of honokiol might yield enhanced anxiolytic activity compared with its parent compound [12,13]. The most promising of these was dihydrohonokiol-beta (DHH-B or 3'-(2 propenyl)-5-propyl-(1,1'-biphenyl)-2,4'-diol), a partially reduced honokiol derivative [13].
Testing for serotonin levels in the brain is very difficult. Although blood tests are available for serotonin, doctors tend to diagnose low serotonin based on symptoms, not blood concentrations. In the case of serotonin syndrome (high levels of serotonin caused by medication use), doctors use symptomatology and a thorough assessment of medications to arrive at a diagnosis [14,15].
Serotonin is synthesized through a series of enzymatic reactions, beginning with the essential amino acid tryptophan. Essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body, hence the name, and must therefore be consumed through the food we eat.