Leah Mayo

Leah Mayo

@mayoonthebrain.bsky.social

Parker Research Chair in Psychedelics (+cannabinoids) at University of Calgary | Ojibwe | FirstGen | TwinMom | she/her

2,770 Followers 347 Following 121 Posts Joined Sep 2023
2 days ago
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Community Engaged Research Administrator, Psychiatry in Calgary, AB, ... Community Engaged Research Administrator, Psychiatry in Calgary, AB, ...

We are hiring at @pact-lab.bsky.social 👇

We are looking for a research admin to support our recently funded CIHR network - LIVE-PATH (Lifting Indigenous Voices and Experiences in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Healing), as well as other community-driven work

careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/1745027...

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3 days ago
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Postdoc @marcdferger.bsky.social delivered a killer Psychiatry Grand Rounds today at @ucalgarymed.bsky.social on "Drug Development in Psychiatry: Foundations, Innovations & the Evolving Role of Clinical Insight"

...with enthusiastic support & viewing party from his @pact-lab.bsky.social colleagues

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1 week ago
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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

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3 weeks ago
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EBPS2023 special issue: Stress, trauma and cannabinoids - Psychopharmacology Psychopharmacology -

Excited to share the Psychopharm Special Issue on Stress, Trauma & Cannabinoids 14 papers examining how the endocannabinoid system shapes stress & trauma responses.

Guest edited with @connorhaggarty.bsky.social, @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social & Christelle Baunez.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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3 weeks ago

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...? 🤔

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1 month ago
Functional neuroimaging of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition in posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial - Translational Psychiatry Translational Psychiatry - Functional neuroimaging of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition in posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial

Congrats to @pact-lab.bsky.social postdoc @ryanntansey.bsky.social on her recent paper looking at the impact of elevated anandamide via FAAH inhibition on brain function in patients with PTSD

What does it do?

Well....not much 😬

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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1 month ago
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EBPS2023 special issue: Stress, trauma and cannabinoids - Psychopharmacology Psychopharmacology -

What an undertaking this was. So proud of the collection @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social , @brainsbeesbikes.bsky.social , @cbaunez.bsky.social and I collected for the “Stress, Trauma and Cannabinoids” special issue in @psychopharmacology.bsky.social
Editorial: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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1 month ago
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First ACNP is going to be tough to top! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to learn about @dpn-journal.bsky.social 🫶🏻🧠💻 #ACNP2026

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1 month ago
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🙏 for contributing to the amazing #ACNP2026! What'd you love? how was the Program? what'd you love for next @acnporg.bsky.social? @sbilbo.bsky.social @thebalelab.bsky.social @ahmarilab.bsky.social @madrelabutd.bsky.social @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social @cannabrain.bsky.social @jaredwyoung.bsky.social

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1 month ago
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#ACNP2026 was one for the books!

Grateful to have been promoted to @acnporg.bsky.social Full Member this year, and feeling even more fortunate to have a network that truly supports me (even when that sometimes entails entertaining my kiddos) 💗

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3 months ago
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Congratulations to Harriet De Wit, Ph.D., for being awarded the Barbara Fish Memorial Award! ☺️ #ACNP2026

Please click here ➡️tinyurl.com/2ndexz5k to watch the nominator video by Abraham Palmer, Ph.D.

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3 months ago

Congrats to @pact-lab.bsky.social postdoc @ryanntansey.bsky.social on receiving an @acnporg.bsky.social Travel Award! 🎉
#ACNP2026

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3 months ago

So excited to be a part of this stellar group of travel awardees this year!! See you at #ACNP2026 🏝️☀️🔬

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4 months ago
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Leah Mayo | Top 40 Under 40 2025 - Avenue Calgary Leah Mayo’s groundbreaking work developing therapeutic applications of psychedelics and cannabis-related drugs as the first research chair in psychedelics in Canada is advancing mental health care.

🎉 Congratulations to our Social Media Editor, Dr. Leah Mayo, on being named to Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40!
Her research on stress, cannabinoids, psychedelics, and mental health continues to make an impact - in and beyond the lab.
🔗 www.avenuecalgary.com/top-40-under...

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4 months ago
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K-Pop Demon Hunters slayed the Dash of Doom 👹🎃🏃‍♀️🥈

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4 months ago
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“Come play with us Maggie, come play with us forever”

Maggie got to play Danny Torrance from the Shining with the perfect Shining twins played by @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social adorable girls for a Dog Halloween costume party.

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5 months ago
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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 (N = 22) 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 ‘drug effects’, 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! 🎉

She explored how MDMA & methamphetamine impact cortisol, endocannabinoids, & BDNF levels in healthy humans and how this relates to the subjective drug experience 💊👇

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5 months ago
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I had the pleasure of attending a psychedelics masterclass this afternoon chaired by Harriet de Wit with talks from Kathryn Cunningham, Chuck Nichols, @drfriid.bsky.social & @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social. From molecules to behaviour and practical steps in trial design #EBPS2025

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6 months ago
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Assistant Professors - Sociology, Faculty of Arts in Calgary, AB, ... Assistant Professors - Sociology, Faculty of Arts in Calgary, AB, ...

JOB ALERT FOR #SOCIOLOGIST: Come work with me. We have FOUR Assistant Professor positions in the Sociology Department at the University of Calgary.

careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/1672106...

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6 months ago

I remember when maps wanted to legalize mdma and all psychedelics before they became a for profit pharma company and wanted to only legalize mdma through their indication and therapy manual

Sad to see, especially when access can be had with legal regulated supply for all

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6 months ago
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a man is holding a checkered flag and says the level of unprofessionalism far too much . ALT: a man is holding a checkered flag and says the level of unprofessionalism far too much .

Am I allowed to call psilocybin 'pharmacologically promiscuous' in a grant, or is that...unprofessional?

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6 months ago
New paper in TIPS: ABCs of psychedelics a preclinical roadmap for drug discovery.

This was a fun piece to write for @cp-trendspharma.bsky.social

“The ABCs of Psychedelics: A Preclinical Roadmap for Drug Discovery” with John McCorvy and @jmantsch.bsky.social

www.cell.com/trends/pharm...

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6 months ago
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Search Jobs - University Affairs

UCalgary is recruiting!

We are recruiting for the Novartis Research Chair in Schizophrenia Research (MD required)

See more info in the ad below, and feel free to reach out w/ questions about the institute, city, etc.,.

Please share!

universityaffairs.ca/search-job/?...

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6 months ago
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Incredible time at the Cannabinoid GRC! @drjkhokhar.bsky.social & Cece Hilliard knocked it out of the park! It was an honor to be discussion lead for the GRS session on therapeutics. As always, proud of my friend/mentor @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social, chosen as 2029 chair w/ @ryanmcpickle.bsky.social

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6 months ago

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

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6 months ago

He was too busy doing pull-ups to join for the photo

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6 months ago
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There are few reasons to miss the start of classes but making sure I get to attend #cannabinoidgrc2025 is one of the few VERY GOOD reasons! #blackincannabinoids

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6 months ago
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Flex off with the lifting crew at #CannabinoidGRC @ryanmcpickle.bsky.social @lcornelas.bsky.social @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social & Carrie Cuttler

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6 months ago
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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) 💪

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6 months ago
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Sex differences in the acute effects of cannabis on human cognition: A systematic review Acute cannabis exposure can transiently impair cognitive performance, increasing the risk of accidental injury and potentially disrupting activities o…

Thrilled to share a new systematic review where we examined sex differences in the acute cognitive effects of cannabis in humans

Overall, not much evidence of sex diffs (6/29 studies, 8/216 variables found sex diffs)

BUT...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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