I will be presenting much of the cannabinoid work I have been doing in the Mental Health and Addiction Program Rounds. My talk "Pharmacological Manipulation of the Endocannabinoid System" ties together my work with @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social and my current work with @brainsbeesbikes.bsky.social
03.03.2026 15:26 β
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The Manning Lab - we are small yet mighty!
From left to right Sarah Rodriguez-Valtierra, me, Alena Ionova, and Grace Burns
24.02.2026 20:54 β
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Thank you to my co-authors @neuroip.bsky.social @connorhaggarty.bsky.social @raeganmazurka.bsky.social @madeleinejones.bsky.social @cannabrain.bsky.social @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social and all the others who do not have bluesky.
And of course the greatest thanks to the patients who participated!
20.02.2026 21:40 β
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I'm so happy this is finally out! My first empirical paper from my postdoc, and my first time wading into fMRI in a clinical sample.
See inside: FAAH inhibition may not have done anything beyond exposure CBT in PTSD, but the DLPFC may play more of a role in treatment response than we thought...? π€
20.02.2026 21:37 β
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Proud father to a beautiful, 14 paper special issue π₯²
17.02.2026 20:56 β
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HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!
Get in, support your fellow postdocs!
05.02.2026 17:10 β
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Sustainability Award | Organization for Human Brain Mapping
Happy new year OHBMers! β¨Are you (or someone you know) a superstar when it comes to incorporating sustainability into research?
Make sure to submit a nomination for the OHBM 2026 Sustainability Award! ππ±ππ
Due Feb 3 @ 11:59 PM EST! More info here: www.humanbrainmapping.org/i4a/pages/in...
29.01.2026 16:27 β
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Congrats to @abby-lunge.bsky.social on her first first author paper!! ππ
01.12.2025 22:59 β
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A network of basolateral amygdala projection neurons contributes to stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
A network of basolateral amygdala neurons, but not singular projections, contributes to the neuroendocrine response to stress.
New lab paper drop, this one has been a long time coming! Driven by Rob Aukema (now a postdoc with Kerry Ressler) this paper in Science Advances answered the lingering question of what role the amygdala plays in stress-induced neuroendocrine responses.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
25.11.2025 22:13 β
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So excited to be a part of this stellar group of travel awardees this year!! See you at #ACNP2026 ποΈβοΈπ¬
18.11.2025 14:44 β
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Happy New Preprint Friday!* Thrilled to share new results in collab with Sarah Lichenstein & @yiplab.bsky.social showing our brain's functional connections reflect the environments we grow up in!
tinyurl.com/exposomeConnectivity
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #DevPsy #cognition
*can this be a thing??
14.11.2025 13:40 β
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The effect of methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on peripheral endocannabinoid concentrations: a study in healthy adults - Psychopharmacology
Rationale Stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can impact neurobiological systems implicated in stress, reward processing, and drug use. Although recent preclinical evidence implicates the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in these processes, little is known about the acute effects of stimulants on eCB levels in humans. Objectives The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute administration of the prototypical psychostimulant MA and the psychostimulant-empathogen MDMA on circulating eCB levels in healthy adults. Methods Using a within-subject, double-blind design, this study assessed the acute effects of MA (20 mg), MDMA (100 mg), and placebo on plasma eCB levels in healthy human participants (Nβ=β22) during three separate sessions. Blood samples assessing concentrations of the eCBs anandamide (AEA) and 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) were collected between 150- and 180-minutes post-drug administration, and subjective measures of drug effects were collected at regular intervals. Results MA, but not MDMA, was associated with significantly lower 2-AG plasma concentrations compared to placebo. Neither drug impacted AEA concentrations. However, during the placebo condition, higher AEA concentrations were correlated with disliking the βdrug effectsβ, suggesting a possible relationship between AEA levels and negative expectations of subjective drug effects. Conclusions These findings provide novel insights into how stimulant drugs act on the eCB system and may help to develop treatments for SUDs.
Congrats to @pact-lab.bsky.social PhD student @anadeutsch.bsky.social on her 1st first-author paper from the lab! π
She explored how MDMA & methamphetamine impact cortisol, endocannabinoids, & BDNF levels in healthy humans and how this relates to the subjective drug experience ππ
06.10.2025 19:03 β
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βΌοΈ If you're interested in getting involved with the SEA-SIG, we are accepting nominations for the roles of Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer until OCTOBER 5! βΌοΈ
β¨ π« π π± π
01.10.2025 03:38 β
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Everyone!! Make sure you attend our first seminar back for the fall tomorrow - it's going to be great!!
10.09.2025 16:38 β
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Happening on Thursday week!
Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Stay up to date by subscribing to our mailing list: t.co/Oa9dLowy1h
09.09.2025 17:44 β
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The carbon footprint of conferences is large β but fully virtual meetings can reduce the environmental impact by 99%! You can keep sustainability in mind while learning & connecting with researchers around the globe by attending the OHBM Satellite Meeting September 10-12!
01.09.2025 13:02 β
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A Garden in September
Mary Hiester Reid
c. 1894
01.09.2025 19:30 β
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ποΈ Only ONE WEEK to register for the OHBM Virtual Satellite Meeting, hosted with the SEA-SIG @ohbmenvironment.bsky.social! There will be an educational course, 3 symposia, and a canβt-miss keynote from Dr. Michael Breakspear! You wonβt want to miss it!
28.08.2025 11:01 β
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Thanks to @drjkhokhar.bsky.social & Cece Hillard for another fantastic Cannabinoid GRC!
The #cannabinerd crew is unparalleled & I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to organize the 2029 meeting with @ryanmcpickle.bsky.social
22.08.2025 19:28 β
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And just like that #CannabinoidGRC2025 comes to an end! Big thank you to all the attendees and speakers and congrats to @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social and @ryanmcpickle.bsky.social on their selection as chairs for the 2029 meeting!
22.08.2025 03:49 β
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The cannabinoid half of the @pact-lab.bsky.social enjoying a night out in Boston before heading for a week of science at the Cannabinoid GRS & GRC π§ͺ π
@marcdferger.bsky.social
@abby-lunge.bsky.social
16.08.2025 16:25 β
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a man says you really are a dream team in front of a microphone
ALT: a man says you really are a dream team in front of a microphone
Wishing all the #Cannabinerd trainees a Happy Cannabinoid GRS kickoff!
Grateful to see @pact-lab.bsky.social well represented w/ talks from @ryanntansey.bsky.social & @abby-lunge.bsky.social, @marcdferger.bsky.social as a discussion leader, & Gavin Petrie as co-Chair (& later speaker at the GRC) πͺ
16.08.2025 14:44 β
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So honored to collaborate with this powerhouse group led by @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social π
Grateful to @ryanntansey.bsky.social, @marcdferger.bsky.social, @pact-lab.bsky.social for the opportunity to contribute to this important work on the endocannabinoid system & developmental psychopathology! ππ§
12.07.2025 14:55 β
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Obviously huge thanks to @hmarusak.bsky.social for her invaluable contributions & feedback, and to @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social for supervising it all!
14.08.2025 00:36 β
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Realizing now that I never advertised my FIRST first author publication of my postdoc here... shared first authorship with @marcdferger.bsky.social of course! π«
Very proud of this review that perfectly branches between the developmental work I did in my PhD & what I've been doing in the PaCT Lab! π§
14.08.2025 00:35 β
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Don't miss @drbreaky.bsky.social's keynote at our OHBM VIRTUAL SATELLITE MEETING!! π π°οΈ π
Make sure you register before September 4!!
14.08.2025 00:30 β
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The keynote speaker for the OHBM Virtual Satellite Meeting is Dr. Michael Breakspear, @drbreaky.bsky.social! You wonβt want to miss his talk β your only chance will be to register and catch it live at 12:00-13:00 UTC on September 11!
π https://humanbrainmapping.org/25SEASIG
#OHBM #SEASIG
13.08.2025 04:02 β
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