The primary phenomenological feature of a response to hypnotic suggestion is the perception that a person is not the author of their actions and experiences. This distortion in volition during hypnotic responding, known as the classic suggestion effect, has the potential to illuminate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying hypnosis and inform broader models of agency. Here we sought to clarif...

To study the influence of the central noradrenergic system on sensitivity to sedative-hypnotic effects mediated by the aminobutyric acid (GABA) system, intact rats were contrasted with rats in which noradrenergic nerves were largely destroyed shortly after birth with the neurotoxin DSP-4 [N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine; 50 mg/kg sc x2, P1 and P3]. At 10 weeks, loss of the righting...

The rhizomes of Gastrodia elata have been used for the treatment of insomnia in oriental countries. N⁶-(4-hydroxybenzyl) adenine riboside (NHBA) was originally isolated from G. elata. For the first time we report a detailed study on the effects and mechanisms of NHBA on its sedative and hypnotic activity. Adenosine, an endogenous sleep factor, regulates sleep-wake cycle via interacting with ade...

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are widely used in clinical practice as anxiolytics, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, and muscle relaxants. However, they have some undesired effects including memory problems. In continuing our research on novel benzodiazepine ligands, we are looking for ligands with less adverse effects. Previously, 4 novel derivatives of 2-phenoxy phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole were synthesized as...

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution of regional cerebral blood flow during the hypnotic state (HS) in humans, using positron-emission tomography (PET) and statistical parametric mapping. METHODS The hypnotic state relied on revivification of pleasant autobiographical memories and was compared to imaging autobiographical material in "normal alertness." A gr...

Placebo response shares phenomenology and likely overlaps with substrates of cognition and personality. However, inconsistent findings abound regarding the potential link between suggestibility and responding to placebos. Here we directly probe whether suggestibility of the hypnotic type influences placebo response. Fifty healthy undergraduates underwent a standard measure of hypnotic suggestib...

Hypnotic perceptual alteration affects brain function. Those hypnotic instructions that reduce perception by creating an illusory obstruction to it reduce brain response to perception in the cognate sensory cortex, as measured by event-related potential (ERP) amplitude and regional blood flow (PET). Those hypnotic instructions that affect the subject's reaction to perception activate the anteri...