Keira Aubin

How to summarize the incredible amount of knowledge @jfcryan.bsky.social has produced in a 45minute talk. Incredible keynote this morning! #EBPS2025

@anadeutsch.bsky.social lead her first symposium on stress and psychedelics at #ebps2025 including her own talk alongside Dr. Gibson Cook and Dr. Helena Aicher. Go Ana 🥳

Round table discussion on imposter syndrome lead by
@connorhaggarty.bsky.social at EBPS2025

Hiding from the 8 UV & enjoying this afternoon’s symposium chaired by @anadeutsch.bsky.social at #EBPS2025 🌞

Psychedelics & the stress response, oh my!

A great EBPS IDEA panel featuring panelists @anadeutsch.bsky.social , PhD student Luis Contreras, Dr. Tania Romacho, Dr. Stephanie Garnier, and Dr. Marianne Joëls

Effects of acute alcohol administration on endocannabinoids and relation to subjective effects - Psychopharmacology Rationale Harmful alcohol use remains a significant global public health challenge. Examining variability in the acute subjective effects of alcohol and related neurobiological mechanisms may advance the understanding of susceptibility to harmful alcohol use. Research suggests the endocannabinoid (eCB) system may play an important role in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. This study examined the relationship between alcohol-induced changes in eCB concentrations and the subjective psychoactive effects of acute alcohol consumption. Method Healthy social drinkers (n = 28, aged 20–35 years) participated in a within-subjects, single-blind, placebo-controlled laboratory alcohol challenge study. Alcohol (0.6 g/kg; with 20% adjustment for women) and placebo sessions were counterbalanced. Subjective alcohol effects were assessed from self-report questionnaires administered pre- and post-dosing, including the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES), Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ), and Profile of Mood States (POMS). The eCBs, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), were assessed from blood plasma taken throughout the dosing session. Results Acute alcohol was associated with an overall decrease in 2-AG concentrations compared to placebo. Further, we found that a drop in 2-AG concentrations was associated with less drug ‘liking’ and feelings of ‘friendliness’, whereas under placebo conditions, a rise in 2-AG was associated with a smaller decrease in feelings of ‘stimulation’ (e.g., feeling energized, talkative). Alcohol did not significantly affect AEA concentrations. Conclusion Our study provides the first evidence that eCBs may contribute to individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol's reward-related mechanisms by influencing subjective experience, offering insight into the potential role of eCBs in the processes underlying harmful alcohol use.

New @pact-lab.bsky.social paper out today led by [current postdoc] Gavin Petrie & [former postdoc] Raegan Mazurka exploring how acute alcohol impacts endocannabinoid levels & their relation to the subjective effects of alcohol 🍻

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

Dispatch: The Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference — Plasticity, Psychotherapy, and Perception (Part 1) - Psychedelic Alpha Here, we share Dr. Alaina Jaster’s observations from the inaugural Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference, where leading scientists gathered to explore various realms of psychedelic…

Check out my keynote & Day 1 dispatch of #GRCPsychedelics 🧠 via @psychedelicalpha.bsky.social

psychedelicalpha.com/news/dispatc...

Bunny at night

Bunny in the day

Sunset (no bunny in sight)

Crystal rocking the mic in front of her slides

Had a lovely time at #GRCpsychedelics

Only took pics of bunnies, sunsets, and @cllantz.bsky.social

Already looking forward to 2027!

Had an incredible time at #GRCPsychedelics this week. Grateful to be part of such a meaningful gathering of fascinating research, inspiring scientists, and an amazing trainee community. Big thanks to everyone who made it happen. Already excited for GRC 2027! 🧠🧪🦞

So happy the first #GRCPsychedelics was such a success. It was great to see everyone and share all the amazing science and community. Thank you to all the speakers and congratulations to the travel awardees!!

Had a blast at the first ever #GRCPsychedelics - thanks so much to Chairs @alexkwan.bsky.social @vyazovskiy.bsky.social & Vice Chairs @melissaherman.bsky.social @viditavaidya.bsky.social for bringing our community together 🫶

Per usual, I took no pics - but luckily Missy had it covered for me 😂

So happy I got to attend the first #GRCPsychedelics conference. Such an amazing opportunity to connect with other researchers & learn about the newest findings in the field.

Thanks Christine was awesome meeting you too :) safe travels ❤️

Attending the first psychedelic GRC organized by @alexkwan.bsky.social & @vyazovskiy.bsky.social was surreal. The internationally representative panels ensure we are collectively/efficiently advancing our understanding of psychedelics. Special thanks to
@mayoonthebrain.bsky.social for bringing me ❤️

Alberta representation needed for the @drkimhellemans.bsky.social lab!!

Great panel this morning on the human and clinical studies of psychedelics -

my impression is we have come a long way in the last few years in terms of design and quantification #GRCPsychedelics

Dinner at GRC Psychedelics

Everyone approves of the dinner to end the #GRCPsychedelics 🦞

@deffinger.bsky.social @jasteralaina.bsky.social @sequencemyneuro.bsky.social @veronicachelu.bsky.social and Erin Neyhart

New product idea:

Bars of soap with dendritic spine designs. Would be a hit at #grcpsychedelics.

@cllantz.bsky.social you in? 🧼

Morning panel at the GRC meeting.

Good morning! An excellent panel today on the evolving theory for explaining psychedelic drug action #GRCPsychedelics

None other than Dr. Kim Hellemans is speaking about the interesting #cannabis-related work at @carleton.ca at the #Canadian #cannabis #Reserach Summit co-hosted with @ccicbluesky.bsky.social @drkimhellemans.bsky.social

Spotted 👀 @cannabrain.bsky.social at @ccicbluesky.bsky.social @tc3consortium.bsky.social meeting sporting his Freddy Krueger socks!

So honoured to have had the privilege to share my Masters research addressing help-seeking barriers faced by young men who use cannabis this past week! @ccicbluesky.bsky.social
I am truly in awe of the research across our country in this field!! I cannot wait to see where ALL of it goes!!

Check out the newest Brainpod Podcast on Endocannabinoid contributions to the perception of socially relevant, affective touch in humans a new study published in @npp-journal.bsky.social - bit.ly/Brainpod

Full Study: go.nature.com/4hcjlbI

@mayoonthebrain.bsky.social @connorhaggarty.bsky.social

Endocannabinoid contributions to the perception of socially relevant, affective touch in humans NPP BrainPod · Episode

Thanks to @npp-journal.bsky.social for having @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social and me on NPP BrainPod to discuss our latest paper in NPP. #Cannabinerds
open.spotify.com/episode/06wI...

Go Tanisse!!!

Mental health, substance use, and stigmatization: A comparison of Canadian university students who abstain from or consume alcohol While alcohol consumption among young adults in Canadian post-secondary settings has been widely studied, the experiences of students who abstain from…

📢 Exciting new publication from my PhD student, Tanisse Epp! Did you know university students who abstain from alcohol may face stigma? Tanisse’s new study explores mental health & stigma among students who abstain from or consume alcohol on Canadian campuses.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

group photo of a wonderfully talented group of scientists + their friends/partners on a spiral-ish staircase

Such a fun time celebrating the holidays with @pact-lab.bsky.social (+friends) last night - I cannot overstate how grateful I am to work with such an amazing team 🤩

(I'm also verrrry happy we could all squeeze in on our 'prom stairs' for a photo 😂)

Read this thoroughly, then went to a friends house who proceeded to give me this coaster for my drink:

Acute stress activates basolateral amygdala neurons expressing corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1): Topographical distribution and projection-specific activation in male and female... Although the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and corticotropin releasing hormone receptor type I (CRHR1) signaling are both central to the stress response,…

New lab paper in collaboration with Nick Gilpin's lab.

We examined the distribution of CRHR1 expressing neurons within the basolateral amygdala, their integration in circuits emanating to NAc and CeA and their reactivity to stress. sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

OK people, given that it appears we are still arguing about whether Die Hard is indeed a Christmas movie, I am going to do a thread on Christmas movies to detail why this should no longer be up for debate.