A packed lecture hall where you could have heard a pin drop – that’s how intently the participants followed the fifteen presentations on both days of this year’s ESI Systems Neuroscience Conference.
Renowned international experts in this field shared their insights into the neural mechanisms of altered states of consciousness and provided valuable insights into the effects of psychedelic substances, as well as the effects of targeted breathing exercises and meditation practices.
Exciting discussion rounds and compact poster sessions provided the perfect setting for an intensive exchange on the results presented.
The participants agreed that this year’s ESI SyNC, with its methodologically broad and high-quality results, offered a clear distinction from the obscure and thus a first-class forum for a field of research with real opportunities, not least for the sustainable further development of therapeutic approaches in psychiatry.
Did you miss ESI SyNC 2025? The on-demand videos of the talks will soon be available on the ESI YouTube channel.
Dr. Christopher Timmermann
Neurophenomenology of advanced non-ordinary states of consciousness
Prof. Alfred Kaye
Plasticity and representational drift induced by psychedelics
Prof. Mikael Palner
Psychedelics induce long-term altered metabolic activity and connectivity in biological-informed neuronal circuits
Prof. Bita Moghaddam
Effects of psilocybin on Kamin Blocking
Torben Ott, PhD
Psilocybin induces hallucination-like perception and alters brain-wide neural activity in rodents
Matthew Claydon, PhD
Psilocybin and affective biases in the rat: uncovering circuit specific effects
Dr. Muad Abd El Hay
Towards a neuro-behavioral dictionary of psychedelic states in mice
Naji Al-Nagger
What can psychedelics bring to disorders of consciousness?
Evan Lewis-Healey, PhD
The psychedelic effects of breathwork on the mind and the brain
Dr. Martha Havenith
When breathing changes your mind: Breathwork as an endogenous entrance to altered consciousness
Prof. Antoine Lutz
Investigating Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness in Meditative Practice: Insights from Neuroimaging and Phenomenology
Timo Torsten Schmidt, PhD
Using perceptual deprivation (Ganzfeld) and stroboscopic light stimulation to study fMRI correlates of Altered States
Dr. Marc Wittmann
Subjective Time and Self in Altered States: Exploring Floatation-REST
Prof. Gustavo Deco
The Thermodynamics of Mind
Timo Torsten Schmidt, PhD
The systematic study of Altered States of Consciousness
