Devin Effinger, Ph.D

If anyone is looking for a roommate (or knows of someone) and has a room at the Atlantis for @acnporg.bsky.social please let me know!

Why we need basic science to better understand the neurobiology of psychedelics Despite the many psychedelics clinical trials underway, there is still much we don’t know about how these drugs work. Preclinical studies represent our best viable avenue to answer these lingering…

@deffinger.bsky.social and @melissaherman.bsky.social argue that, though many human psychedelic clinical trials are underway, preclinical studies remain our best bet to answer fundamental questions about the neurobiology of psychedelics.

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/psychedelics...

We still don’t know if microdosing psychedelics is effective or a placebo, but is it safe? Could microdosing activate cardiac 5HT2B receptors and cause valvulopathy? New work online at pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1... from @deffinger.bsky.social suggests that - at least in mice - the answer is no. 1/

THRILLED to share @acnporg.bsky.social news x2!

1) Our study group “Centering Lived Experience in Psychiatric Neuroscience Research” @ericjnestler.bsky.social @mayaschumer.bsky.social @deffinger.bsky.social @viscidula.bsky.social @noelvest.bsky.social @cahill-lab.bsky.social=ACCEPTED! 🤩 #ACNP2026

@acnporg.bsky.social brought @umarchatterjee.bsky.social
@deffinger.bsky.social & me together last year: After finding each other on X-as we are all public/open about our lived experience -we met+discussed the ideas for this Study Group! Looking forward to doing this work together@ #ACNP2026💥🧠❤️

September 28th

It’s wild how much change is possible in this life. From relearning to talk post-TBI, to full blown heroin addiction, to a life beyond anything I could have imagined. Im very fortunate to not only be alive, but to have been selected to speak at 2025 TEDxBoulder!

The paper is in its 2nd round of review so keep an eye out! Original version is on BioRxiv. I’ll post when it clears review!

The effect seems to rely on slower metabolism leading to sustained activation of the 5-HT2B receptor. Low dose LSD/psilocybin are off the receptor within 10 hours while a typical fenfluramine dose causes the receptor to remain bound for 24 hours. FYI MDMA has a similarly dangerous kinetic profile.

We also calculated time course kinetics based on human data and demonstrate clear differences in kinetics between known valvulopathic drugs and low dose psychedelics that suggest the risk profile is very low with microdosing LSD or psilocybin.

A caveat: while mouse and human 5-HT2B receptor show no differences in affinity or efficacy, there are differences in metabolism. This slightly limits interpretability, but this is somewhat amended given that we used a known valvulopathic drug and showed pathological effects in mice.

Well, the speculation has good rationale. Based on their receptor pharmacology, they should have cardiovascular risk. However, my findings failed to demonstrate that effect and this is likely due to pharmacokinetics. Mouse and human 5-HT2B receptor show no differences in affinity or efficacy. [1/x]

Thank you so much! It was so good (as always) to see you!

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

The inaugural #GRCPsychedelics was a success! I am honored to have been one of a few chosen to receive a travel award and be able to share the stage with the leaders in the field. 🙏 to the organizers! @alexkwan.bsky.social @vyazovskiy.bsky.social @melissaherman.bsky.social @viditavaidya.bsky.social

It’s a common misconception that, for the person with a SUD, the substances are the problem. In my experience, the real problem was much deeper. Until I addressed the underlying causes/conditions, longterm sobriety was unattainable. Link in bio. #sober #sobriety #sobersky #recovery

YouTube video by Impacting Recovery - Uncensored Neuroscience, Addiction, 12 Steps with Dr. Devin Effinger & Sarah Pritchard - PART 1

Was on a podcast recently where I dive into the neuroscience of addiction, psychedelics, and healing—from both the science and my lived experience. Grateful for the chance to share my journey and the science behind what’s actually going on in the brain. Check it out:
youtu.be/uNXrbEuturY

Assessing the potential cardiovascular risk of microdosing the psychedelic LSD in mice Microdosing, the prolonged ingestion of psychedelics at sub-hallucinogenic doses, has gained popularity for its perceived cognitive and emotional benefits. Psychedelics have high affinity for 5-HT2B r...

People have warned about #psychedelics and 5-HT2B receptor activation for years — citing potential cardiotoxicity.

But no one had tested it. Until now. We used echocardiography to assess cardiac risk after chronic LSD microdosing in mice.
@sthom003.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Winter brain 2025 was a blast! Our panel on microdosing #psychedelics was the most attended session of the conference. We covered 4 distinct areas: anecdotal/lived experience, preclinical neuroscience, clinical, and cardiovascular risk. Most people stayed after for a great discussion. #WCBR2025

Are you @winter_brain ?? Come check out our panel this afternoon on microdosing #psychedelics. Including lived experience, preclinical effects, clinical effects, and my work utilizing rodent echocardiogram to assess potential cardiovascular risks. #WCBR2025 🍄 @sthom003.bsky.social

Just getting into Tahoe. Who’s at Winter Brain??

An amazing honor to give NIH’s WALS lecture today as the last speaker under the leadership of NIH Director Dr Monica Bertagnolli

Great PDA seminars today by @deffinger.bsky.social and Jill King 🐭💊🧠

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) - a gastroenterologist with an MD from LSU, just released a report entitled NIH IN THE 21st CENTURY: ENSURING TRANSPARENCY AND AMERICAN BIOMEDICAL LEADERSHIP. Since he is the ranking Republican,

1/n

@connorhaggarty.bsky.social I am bummed we didn’t get a chance to actually chat! Winter brain?

#ACNP2024 highlight... getting to see @deffinger.bsky.social and share his exciting data 🧠🧠🧠

On tonight: Given that classical #psychedelics are 5-HT2B agonists, there is concern of a potential cardiovascular risk with prolonged use. To resemble human context, we chronically administered 2 low doses of LSD and performed echocardiograms at baseline, 4-, and 8-weeks. #ACNP2024

More specifically, on Monday afternoon you do not want to miss #ACNP2024 ’s only panel dedicated to an oxymoron: non-psychedelic psychedelics! It will be a trip! Or not….

Hello @acnporg.bsky.social! I am a postdoc interested in the intersection of neurobiological effects of trauma and #psychedelic mechanism of action. 1st time here.

I’ll be presenting data investigating the cardiovascular effects of chronic, low-dose LSD in mice Wed night!

Let’s connect!

Podcast | Your Brain on Science Psychedelic science podcast delving into past, present, and future findings in a fun and accessible way

Our most recent episode featured @deffinger.bsky.social discussing threat processing, the amygdala + psychedelics

Check it out here:

www.psychedelicbrainscience.com/podcast/epis...