Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics

Can Psychedelic Therapy Go Mainstream? : Up First from NPR Research shows that psychedelics can help with a range of mental health conditions, like PTSD and depression. So why can't you get them from your doctor? Today on The Sunday Story, we take a trip thro...

On @npr.org’s The Sunday Story, IPN Director, @deolsonlab.bsky.social explains how #psychedelics may treat depression by promoting brain plasticity and why he’s working to engineer out the trip.

🎧 Hear more on the psychedelic renaissance and where science is headed:

Psychedelics and Non-hallucinogenic Analogs Work Through the Same Receptor, Up to a Point Understanding exactly how psychedelics promote new connections in the brain is critical to developing targeted, non-hallucinogenic therapeutics that can treat neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric di...

Greg Watry of @ucdlands.bsky.social wrote a wonderful article about the #UCDavisIPN's @natureportfolio.nature.com most recent Neuroscience publication. Find out why our associate director, John A. Gray said, "Science is full of surprises."

Read the article here: www.ucdavis.edu/news/psyched...

The psychoplastogen tabernanthalog induces neuroplasticity without proximate immediate early gene activation - Nature Neuroscience Aarrestad et al. show that, in contrast to psychedelics, the nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogen tabernanthalog promotes neuroplasticity through 5-HT2AR activation without immediately increasing extrace...

The field of psychedelic science is finally closer to an answer on how non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogues induce neuroplasticity.  Read the new publication from the #UCDavisIPN in @natureportfolio.nature.com Neuroscience about how the team uncovered this using TBG, lasers, and genetic tools.

A New Drug Could Revolutionize Treating Mental Health | The Lisa Wexler Show

#UCDavisIPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social spoke with Lisa Wexler from the Voice of Connecticut about JRT, a non-hallucinogenic #psychedelic analogue with potential to treat schizophrenia.

🔗 Listen to David's segment on The Lisa Wexler Show here or anywhere you get your podcasts:

The polypharmacology of psychedelics reveals multiple targets for potential therapeutics Jain et al. profiled 41 classical psychedelics across 318 GPCRs, revealing activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptors. All compounds activated multiple 5-HT2AR signal transduction pathw...

A team led by @zenbrainest.bsky.social and colleagues screened 41 classical #psychedelics across 318 human receptors. The result? A sweeping map of psychedelic polypharmacology that includes broad activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptors.

🔗 Read the full study:

Compass Pathways Successfully Achieves Primary Endpoint in First Phase 3 Trial Evaluating COMP360 Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation, announced today the succe...

Big news in #psychedelic science: Compass Pathways' proprietary psilocybin formulation is the first-ever classic psychedelic in a Phase 3 trial. It showed a significant reduction in depression symptoms compared to placebo. We’re very excited to see the data once published!

Read the press release:

Choroid plexus apocrine secretion shapes CSF proteome during mouse brain development - PubMed The choroid plexus (ChP) regulates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition, providing essential molecular cues for brain development; yet, embryonic ChP secretory mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here ...

#UCDavisIPN Affiliate @sadeghlab.bsky.social co-authored a new @natureportfolio.nature.com paper revealing how maternal exposure to 5-HT2C agonists can cause the choroid plexus to secrete proteins into cerebrospinal fluid, affecting fetal brain development and behavior into adulthood. Read more:

Manvir Singh @ The Yolo County Library Davis' Local Independent Bookstore since 1987

Meet us at the Davis Public Library in Davis on May 29th for IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social's author talk on "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion." Register for the event, hosted by the Avid Reader, using the link below.

Where: 315 E. 14th Street, Davis, CA 95616
Time: 6:30PM
#shamanism #UCDavisIPN

Shamanism by Manvir Singh: 9780593537541 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books From a brilliant, young, Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to The New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism, from its beginnings to the present...

Now available: Shamanism: The Timeless Religion written by IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social. Manvir's work cuts through myths and binaries, exploring the deeper meaning behind our fascination with shamanism and ancient ways of knowing.

Order your copy now:

#UCDavisIPN #shamanism

Shamanism by Manvir Singh: 9780593537541 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books From a brilliant, young, Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to The New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism, from its beginnings to the present...

Whether you're curious about the life of an anthropologist doing remote fieldwork or how the global archaic psychedelic shamanism hypothesis misrepresents reality, this book is a must-read. Preorder your copy now at the link below:

@aaknopf.bsky.social

#UCDavisIPN #shamanism #psychedelics

IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social's new book "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion" releases May 20th. The book is a provocative journey through history, belief, and the incredible diversity of human spiritual and healing practices.

An LSD analogue for treating psychiatric diseases Researchers designed a non-hallucinogenic analogue of LSD that had antidepressant and numerous cognitive benefits in mice.

Thanks to NIH Research Matters team for recognizing the #UCDavisIPN's work on JRT. This work brings us closer to creating effective and practical treatments for patients.

Shamanism by Manvir Singh: 9780593537541 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books From a brilliant, young, Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to The New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism, from its beginnings to the present...

The article is an excerpt adapted from Manvir's upcoming book, "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion" which releases on May 20th. @aaknopf.bsky.social Preorder the book here:

The ancient psychedelics myth: ‘People tell tourists the stories they think are interesting for them’ The narrative of ancient tribes around the world regularly using ayahuasca and magic mushrooms in healing practices is a popular one. Is it true?

Fascinating read by IPN affiliate @manvir.bsky.social in @theguardian.com on how stories about “ancient” psychedelic use are often shaped by what tourists want to hear, not necessarily what’s true. This is a must-read for anyone thinking about tradition, authenticity, and modern #psychedelics.

Modifying LSD to Minimize Hallucinogenic Properties Results in a Potential New Drug Candidate for Schizophrenia | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Some psychedelic compounds have been shown to be powerful promoters of growth in atrophied cortical neurons, a fact that has intrigued researchers interested in addressing one of the hallmark patholog...

Check out this write-up on JRT, an LSD analogue created at the #UCDavisIPN published last week in @pnas.org. Thanks to BBRF for highlighting our research on how swapping just two atoms could change how schizophrenia is treated. Read more about our latest study here:

Thank you, Greg Watry, for this write-up on JRT, our non-hallucinogenic LSD analog from the #UCDavisIPN. This compound has the potential to treat patients affected by schizophrenia! @ucdavismedschool.bsky.social @ucdlands.bsky.social @ucdaviscns.bsky.social

@ucdlands.bsky.social @ucdaviscns.bsky.social

JRT even increases dendritic growth more than LSD!  Check out its effects on spinogenesis:

The effectiveness of clozapine has been hypothesized to be due to its ability to promote cortical neuron growth, and JRT causes and even greater increase in dendritic growth! Check out these images from the paper:

Current treatments for schizophrenia include an array of antipsychotics, but when 1st-line therapies prove ineffective, doctors typically turn to clozapine.

The #UCDavisIPN's latest article in @pnas.org is out now. By transposing just 2 atoms in LSD, we synthesized JRT, a non-hallucinogenic analogue. Read about this and how the compound could be used as a potential treatment for schizophrenia here: www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....

Together, we can make effective, accessible treatments a reality. This #UCDavisGiveDay, support research that’s reshaping what mental health care can be.
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Here's why researchers are making new psychedelic-like drugs — without the trip : Short Wave This week, we've heard from researchers trying to untangle the effects of the "trip" that often comes with psychedelics and ketamine from the ways these drugs might change the human brain. For part th...

🎧 Part 3 features our Director @Dr. David Olson on designing psychedelic analogues that:
✅ Provide quick, long-term relief
✅ Don’t cause hallucinations
✅ Could feasibly be taken at home
This is the science your support fuels.
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Would ketamine treatment help if you didn't know you got it? : Short Wave What if you could get all the potential benefits of ketamine without the "trip"? For part two of our series on psychedelics, we look at how some researchers are trying to disentangle the "trip" from t...

🎧 Part 2 dives into ketamine given while under anesthesia, placebos, and blinding.
Listen:

Why it's hard to study the neuroscience of psychedelics : Short Wave Researchers are studying psychedelics as a possible treatment for conditions like depression, PTSD and substance use disorders. But they don't know exactly how these drugs work. Getting the answer to ...

Want to hear what that future could look like? @NPR’s Short Wave just released a 3-part series exploring the cutting edge of psychedelic science — including our work at UC Davis.
🎧 Part 1: The big picture of psychedelics in mental health treatment→

It’s #UCDavisGiveDay!
Your support powers breakthroughs in mental health treatment — science that’s safe, scalable, and made to reach the people who need it most.
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Why it's hard to study the neuroscience of psychedelics : Short Wave Researchers are studying psychedelics as a possible treatment for conditions like depression, PTSD and substance use disorders. But they don't know exactly how these drugs work. Getting the answer to ...

Check out IPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social on NPR's Short Wave podcast. Part 1 gives an introduction to the breadth of psychedelic research and is out now. Stay tuned for part 3, where David discusses IPN research in more detail. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at this link:

Psilocybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors - Nature A pyramidal cell type and the 5-HT2A receptor in the medial frontal cortex have essential roles in psilocybin’s long-term drug action.

@alexkwan.bsky.social's team found that activation of 5-HT2A receptors on pyramidal tract neurons was key for psilocybin's effects on both structural neuroplasticity and antidepressant-like effects. Read about how this gets us closer to developing next-gen psychedelic-based therapeutics:

💙 Give early today! Visit the link below and search for "Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics General Support Fund" under Areas to Support.

#EveryAggieCounts #UCDavisIPN #UCDHstrong

#UCDavisGiveDay is an annual fundraiser to support initiatives at UC Davis. This year, the IPN hopes to raise money to cover operational expenses and exciting new research. Your gift helps fuel our mission to explore groundbreaking treatments for mental health.