The Biology and Medicine reading list

Readings on the body, the brain and how they shape the mind.

• Anderson, G. (2023). A more holistic perspective of Alzheimer’s disease: Roles of gut microbiome, adipocytes, HPA axis, melatonergic pathway and astrocyte mitochondria in the emergence of autoimmunity. Frontiers in Bioscience–Landmark, 28(12), 355. https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2812355.
• Andrews, P., & Johnson, R. J. (2020). Evolutionary basis for the human diet: Consequences for human health. Journal of Internal Medicine, 287, 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13011.
• Borroni, D., Mazzotta, C., Rocha-de-Lossada, C., Sánchez-González, J.-M., Ballesteros-Sanchez, A., García-Lorente, M., Zamorano-Martín, F., Spinelli, A., Schiano-Lomoriello, D., & Tedesco, G. R. (2023). Dry eye para-inflammation treatment: Evaluation of a novel tear substitute containing hyaluronic acid and low-dose hydrocortisone. Biomedicines, 11, 3277. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11123277.
• Bradbury, J. (2011). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): An ancient nutrient for the modern human brain. Nutrients, 3, 529–554. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu3050529.
• Briones, A., Gagno, S., Martisova, E., Dobarro, M., Aisa, B., Solas, M., Tordera, R., & Ramírez, M. J. (2011). Stress-induced anhedonia is associated with an increase in Alzheimer’s disease-related markers. British Journal of Pharmacology.
• Caslin, B., Mohler, K., Thiagarajan, S., & Melamed, E. (2021). Alcohol as friend or foe in autoimmune diseases: A role for gut microbiome? Gut Microbes, 13(1), 1916278. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2021.1916278.
• Choubey, A., Girdhar, K., Kar, A. K., Kushwaha, S., Yadav, M. K., Ghosh, D., & Mondal, P. (2020). Low-dose naltrexone rescues inflammation and insulin resistance associated with hyperinsulinemia. Journal of Biological Chemistry.
• Colcott, J., Guerin, A. A., Carter, O., Meikle, S., & Bedi, G. (2024). Side-effects of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
• Cuevas-Cervera, M., Perez-Montilla, J. J., Gonzalez-Muñoz, A., Garcia-Rios, M. C., & Navarro-Ledesma, S. (2022). The effectiveness of intermittent fasting, time restricted feeding, caloric restriction, a ketogenic diet and the Mediterranean diet as part of the treatment plan to improve health and chronic musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 6698. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116698.
• Dai, S., Wei, J., Zhang, H., Luo, P., Yang, Y., Jiang, X., Fei, Z., Liang, W., Jiang, J., & Li, X. (2022). Intermittent fasting reduces neuroinflammation in intracerebral hemorrhage through the Sirt3/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 19, 122. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-022-02474-2.
• Dai, Z., Zhang, H., Wu, F., Chen, Y., Yang, C., Wang, H., Sui, X., Guo, Y., Xin, B., Guo, Z., et al. (2022). Effects of 10-day complete fasting on physiological homeostasis, nutrition and health markers in male adults. Nutrients, 14, 3860. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14183860.
• Dai, Z., Zhang, H., Sui, X., Wu, F., Zhang, C., Fan, Z., Wang, H., Guo, Y., Yang, C., Jiang, S., Wang, L., Xin, B., & Li, Y. (n.d.). Analysis of physiological and biochemical changes and metabolic shifts during 21-day fasting hypometabolism.
• de Wit, H., Molla, H. M., Bershad, A., Bremmer, M., & Lee, R. (n.d.). Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose-response study.
• Dynka, D., Paziewska, A., & Kowalcze, K. (2023). Keto menu—Effect of ketogenic menu and intermittent fasting on the biochemical markers and body composition in a physically active man—A controlled case study. Foods, 12, 3219. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173219.
• Fazeli, P. K., Zhang, Y., O’Keefe, J., Pesaresi, T., Lun, M., Lawney, B., & Steinhauser, M. L. (n.d.). Prolonged fasting drives a program of metabolic inflammation in human adipose tissue.
• Fiolet, A. T. L., Lin, A., Kwiecinski, J., Tutein Nolthenius, J., McElhinney, P., Grodecki, K., et al. (n.d.). Effect of low-dose colchicine on pericoronary inflammation and coronary plaque composition in chronic coronary disease: A sub-analysis of the LoDoCo2 trial.
• GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. (2018). Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet, 392, 1015–1035.
• González Olmo, B. M., Butler, M. J., & Barrientos, R. M. (2021). Evolution of the human diet and its impact on gut microbiota, immune responses, and brain health. Nutrients, 13, 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010196.
• Hutten, N. R. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C., Theunissen, E. L., Holze, F., Liechti, M. E., Feilding, A., Ramaekers, J. G., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2020). Mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in healthy volunteers: A placebo-controlled dose-effect finding study. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 41, 81–91.
• Jordan, S., Tung, N., Casanova-Acebes, M., et al. (n.d.). Dietary intake regulates the circulating inflammatory monocyte pool.
• Justice, N. J. (n.d.). The relationship between stress and Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiology of Stress.
• Khan, H., Ullah, H., Aschner, M., Cheang, W. S., & Akkol, E. K. (n.d.). Neuroprotective effects of quercetin in Alzheimer’s disease. Biomolecules.
• Knezevic, E., Nenic, K., Milanovic, V., & Knezevic, N. N. (2023). The role of cortisol in chronic stress, neurodegenerative diseases, and psychological disorders. Cells, 12, 2726. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12232726.
• Kupka, E., Hesselman, S., Hastie, R., Lomartire, R., Wikström, A. K., & Bergman, L. (n.d.). Low-dose aspirin use in pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: A Swedish register-based cohort study.
• Lambadiari, V., Katsimbri, P., Kountouri, A., Korakas, E., Papathanasi, A., Maratou, E., Pavlidis, G., Pliouta, L., Ikonomidis, I., Malisova, S., et al. (2024). The effect of a ketogenic diet versus Mediterranean diet on clinical and biochemical markers of inflammation in patients with obesity and psoriatic arthritis: A randomized crossover trial. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25, 2475. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052475.
• Lambert, B. S., Miller, K. E., Delgado, D. A., Chaliki, K., Lee, J., Bauza, G., Taraballi, F., Dong, D., Tasciotti, E., Harris, J. D., & McCulloch, P. C. (2020). Acute physiologic effects of performing yoga in the heat on energy expenditure, range of motion, and inflammatory biomarkers. International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(3), 802–817.
• Leggieri, M., Thaut, M. H., Fornazzari, L., Schweizer, T. A., Barfett, J., Munoz, D. G., & Fischer, C. E. (2019). Music intervention approaches for Alzheimer’s disease: A review of the literature. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 132. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00132.
• Lesmana, R., Yusuf, I. F., Goenawan, H., Achadiyani, Khairani, A. F., Fatimah, S. N., & Supratman, U. (2020). Low dose of β-carotene regulates inflammation, reduces caspase signaling, and correlates with autophagy activation in cardiomyoblast cell lines.
• Lundberg, P., Abrahamsson, A., Kihlberg, J., Tellman, J., Tomkeviciene, I., Karlsson, A., Kristoffersen Wiberg, M., Warntjes, M., & Dabrosin, C. (2024). Low-dose acetylsalicylic acid reduces local inflammation and tissue perfusion in dense breast tissue in postmenopausal women. Breast Cancer Research, 26, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-024-01780-2.
• Mattson, M. P., Moehl, K., Ghena, N., Schmaedick, M., & Cheng, A. (2018). Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 19, 63–80.
• Mehta, N. D., Stevens, J. S., Li, Z., Gillespie, C. F., Fani, N., Michopoulos, V., & Felger, J. C. (2020). Inflammation, reward circuitry and symptoms of anhedonia and PTSD in trauma-exposed women. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 1046–1055. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsz100.
• Moro, T., Tinsley, G., Longo, G., Grigoletto, D., Bianco, A., Ferraris, C., Guglielmetti, M., Veneto, A., Tagliabue, A., Marcolin, G., & Paoli, A. (n.d.). Time-restricted eating effects on performance, immune function, and body composition in elite cyclists: A randomized controlled trial.
• Müller, F., Zaczek, H., Becker, A. M., et al. (n.d.). Efficacy and safety of low- versus high-dose LSD-assisted therapy in patients with major depression: A randomized trial.
• Murray, C. H. (2024). Common side effects of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Neuropsychopharmacology, 49, 1206–1207. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-024-01873-8.
• Ommati, M. M., Mobasheri, A., Niknahad, H., Rezaei, M., Alidaee, S., Arjmand, A., Mazloomi, S., Abdoli, N., Sadeghian, I., Sabouri, S., Saeed, M., Mousavi, K., Najibi, A., & Heidari, R. (2023). Low-dose ketamine improves animals’ locomotor activity and decreases brain oxidative stress and inflammation in ammonia-induced neurotoxicity.
• Ornish, D., et al. (2024). Effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: A randomized, controlled clinical trial. Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 16, 122. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-024-01482-z.
• P, S., & Vellapandian, C. (2024). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis: Unveiling the potential mechanisms involved in stress-induced Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Cureus, 16. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.67595.
• Sällström, et al. (2025). Inflammatory response to red meats. BMC Nutrition, 11, 74. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-025-01055-9.
• Selye, H. (1975). The stress of life.
• Solmi, M., Chen, C., Daure, C., Buot, A., Ljuslin, M., Verroust, V., Mallet, L., Khazaal, Y., Rothen, S., Thorens, G., Zullino, D., Gobbi, G., Rosenblat, J., Husain, M. I., De Gregorio, D., Castle, D., & Sabé, M. (2022). A century of research on psychedelics: A scientometric analysis on trends and knowledge maps of hallucinogens, entactogens, entheogens and dissociative drugs. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 64, 44–60.
• Vinyes, D., Muñoz-Sellart, M., & Fischer, L. (2023). Therapeutic use of low-dose local anesthetics in pain, inflammation, and other clinical conditions: A systematic scoping review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12, 7221. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12237221.
• Wardill, H. R., da Silva Ferreira, A. R., Lichtenberg Cloo, S., Havinga, R., Harmsen, H. J. M., Vermeij, W. P., & Tissing, W. J. E. (n.d.). Pre-therapy fasting slows epithelial turnover and modulates the microbiota but fails to mitigate methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal mucositis.
• Wiciński, M., Fajkiel-Madajczyk, A., Kurant, Z., Kurant, D., Gryczka, K., Falkowski, M., Wiśniewska, M., Słupski, M., Ohla, J., & Zabrzyński, J. (2023). Can ashwagandha benefit the endocrine system?—A review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 16513. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242216513.
• Zorn, S., Ehret, J., Schäuble, R., Rautenberg, B., Ihorst, G., Bertz, H., Urbain, P., & Raynor, A. (n.d.). Impact of modified short-term fasting and its combination with a fasting supportive diet during chemotherapy on the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-induced toxicities in cancer patients: A controlled cross-over pilot study.
• Is microdosing a placebo? (2024). Journal of Psychopharmacology, 38(8), 701–711. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811241254831.
• The need for upper limits in physical activity guidelines: A narrative review. (n.d.).
• Ketogenic diet: A nutritional therapeutic tool for lipedema. (n.d.).
• Lipton, B. H. (2005). The biology of belief: Unleashing the power of consciousness, matter & miracles. Mountain of Love/Elite Books.
• A novel role of oxytocin: Oxytocin-induced. (2019). Biophysics and Physicobiology, 16, 132–139. https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.16.0_132.
• Caso, F., Costa, L., Nucera, V., et al. (2018). From autoinflammation to autoimmunity: Old and recent findings. Clinical Rheumatology.
• de Wit, H., et al. (2002). Acute administration of d-amphetamine decreases impulsivity in healthy volunteers. Neuropsychopharmacology, 27(5), 813–825.
• Foundation of Fermentation Fervor. (n.d.). People’s republic of fermentation [Video]. YouTube.
• Kenig, A., et al. (2023). Low-dose colchicine attenuates sepsis-induced liver injury: A novel method for alleviating systemic inflammation. Inflammation, 46(3), 963–974. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-023-01783-9.
• Krishnamurti, J. (n.d.). Think on these things.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). 2017 National Health Interview Survey adult survey results. https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/NHIS2017-Adult-Survey.
• Norooznezhad, A. H., & Nabavian, S. M. (2023). Low-dose aspirin and prevention of preterm birth: Untold story of inflammation. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 229(3), 353–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.04.016.
• Reframing immune-mediated inflammatory diseases through signature cytokine hubs. (2021). The New England Journal of Medicine.
• Rudwaleit, M. (2010). Effects of low-dose infliximab on spinal inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging in ankylosing spondylitis. The Journal of Rheumatology, 37(8), 1553–1555. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.100422.
• Short-term modern life-like stress exacerbates Aβ-pathology and synapse loss in 3xTg-AD mice. (n.d.).
• Tan, S. Y. (2018). Hans Selye (1907–1982): Founder of the stress theory. Singapore Medical Journal, 59(4), 170–171. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5915631/.
• Wahren-Herlenius, M., & Dörner, T. (2013). Immunopathogenic mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease. The Lancet.
• Yang, Y., et al. (2023). Lactobacillus fermentum alleviates the colorectal inflammation induced by low-dose sub-chronic microcystin-LR exposure. Toxins, 15(9), 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15090579.