Do we perceive the weight of our body parts and the weight of objects differently?

According to Newton’s law, weight is given by the product of its mass and gravity. How does the brain determine the weight of objects and body parts?

Does the combination of psychedelics and meditation enhance mystical experiences?

Researchers assessed whether combining psychedelics with meditation increases mindfulness, compassion, insight, and mystical-type transcendence to a higher degree than meditation with a placebo.

Health professionals' responses to stress in critical care scenarios and the risk of burnout

A study assessed the psychobiological functioning of 27 Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical doctors and paramedics, stressing the importance of recovery periods.

The BIAL Foundation has received 432 applications for the Grants Programme for Scientific Research

Did you know that the BIAL Foundation received 432 applications from 29 countries for the Grants Programme for Scientific Research 2024/2025, and 80 were approved?

BIAL Award in Biomedicine 2025 increases value to 350,000 euros and opens nominations

The fourth edition of the BIAL Foundation international award, the BIAL Award in Biomedicine, is underway, with nominations open until 30 June. This edition, with an increase in value to 350,000 euros, seeks to recognise work published in the broad biomedical field within the last ten years, the results of which are considered of exceptional quality and scientific relevance.

Do placebos work even when we know they're placebos?

Research has shown that placebo-related expectations are linked to activation changes in regions involved in attention and cognitive control (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex), as well as somatosensory integration (insula and parietal regions). However, these studies have typically used deceptive placebos presented as active treatments. To date, the effects of non-deceptive placebos, or open-label placebos (OLPs), that is patients are fully aware that they are not taking an active medication, have not been fully explored. Anne Schienle and Albert Wabnegger conducted an fMRI study to examine the effects of open-label placebos on emotional regulation, specifically in reducing feelings of disgust. Participants rated the expected effect of the OLPs before the experiment and evaluated the perceived effect after the experiment. Results indicated that when participants’ expectations concerning the OLP treatment were met, there was reduced brain activity in key brain areas, including the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, parietal regions, as well as parahippocampus. These areas are crucial for identifying meaningful stimuli and for evaluating both the emotional relevance and context of an experience. Thus, the decrease in activity in these areas suggests that when expectations are met, the brain processes the emotional salience and context of the stimulus more efficiently and with less intensity, contributing to emotional regulation. This study, published in the journal Brain Research Bulletin, in the paper Neural correlates of expected and perceived treatment efficacy concerning open-label placebos for reducing emotional distress, was supported by the BIAL Foundation, in the scope of the research project 03/22 - The power of imagination: Neural effects of imagined placebo intake.