Psychedelic Brain Science

The episode you’ve all been waiting for… Alaina & journalist Jack Gorsline chat about all the ups and downs of the recent DEA Hearing that took place in Arlington VA to determine whether psychedelics DOI and DOC should be scheduled as Schedule I substances. In this very long episode they dive into the laughable and more serious moments of the week, and discuss their thoughts as they await the recommendation from the Administrative Law Judge. https://lnkd.in/e7VRWYCW #psychedelics #psychedelicbrainscience #sciencepolicy #studentsforsensibledrugpolicy #ssdp #sciencepolicy #advocacy #dea #drugs #phenethylamines #pihkal #shulgin #scicomm #sciencecomminication #law #lawandorder #warondrugs #researchharms #endthedrugwar

Our last International Society for Research on Psychedelics (ISRP) speaker spotlight features Dr. Jason Luoma! Dr. Luoma is a researcher, entrepreneur, clinical psychologist, and psychotherapy trainer in Portland, Oregon. He has focused largely on stigma and shame since 2002, and got involved in psychedelic therapy research in 2018. His current research is focused largely on MDMA-assisted therapy. He is the co-founder of the Portland Psychotherapy Clinic and the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus and hosts his own podcast “Research Matters”. Check out our episode and his talk at 4:14 EDT / 1:15 PDT at the ISRP virtual conference March 7! https://lnkd.in/g7dWjus7

Our second International Society for Research on Psychedelics (ISRP) Speaker Spotlight is Alejo Acu?a a neuroscience PhD student at the University of the Republic, Uruguay! He’s studying ibogaine & neuroplasticity! ?????? Check out his episode here or wherever you get your pods ?? & If you liked what you heard today, register for the virtual ISRP conference at ISRPsych.org. Alejo kicks off the conference at 11:10 EST / 8:10 PST! https://lnkd.in/eFqHYcXB

Let the countdown for the International Society for Research on Psychedelics (ISRP) virtual conference begin! Over the years many of our guests on the podcast belong to this great organization, so we decided to showcase three great scientists from different areas of research in the weeks leading up to the conference! Our first guest is Kate Lawson, PhD student at UC Irvine studying the persistent effects of stress in rodent models and how these negative effects may be reversed by psychedelics. We chat about ultrasonic vocalizations in rodents, the importance of translational models, and what mouse god smells like. For more about her research, register for ISRP and tune into her talk at 11:55am EDT / 8:55am PDT. Follow us or subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts for the next two features coming out each Monday before the conference! To register for the virtual conference visit ISRPsych.org https://lnkd.in/eqmM_AfN

In this special episode of Psychedelic Brain Science, Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by Dr. Hilary Marusak host of BrainSTEM and Principle Investigator in the THINK lab at Wayne State University. They are also joined by Dr. Christine Rabinak, PhD, MBA a world-leading PTSD researcher, who brings a unique perspective on the impact of recent federal funding cuts—not just on scientific innovation, but also on patients whose lives depend on this research. The conversation centers on the Trump administration’s executive actions affecting NIH indirect costs and broader federal science funding freezes. These cuts threaten groundbreaking research, training the next generation of scientists, and the economic and public health benefits of biomedical innovation. Beyond the numbers, they also affect real people—patients with PTSD, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions who rely on scientific progress for hope and treatment. Scientists across the country are facing uncertainty, and the lack of clear information has created widespread concern. But there are ways to take action. In this episode, we highlight concrete steps researchers, advocates, and the public can take to push back against these harmful policies and fight for the future of science.? ?? Take Action:? Contact your representatives via phone or email: https://lnkd.in/dBBEmpU Make 5 calls in 5 minutes to advocate for NIH and NSF funding:https://lnkd.in/ezTQ76sS Check out templates for emailing and a fact sheet specific to DEIA in health and drug policy here: https://lnkd.in/e7ruhy-c Sign petitions and stay informed through professional societies: ?https://lnkd.in/eMwfapVz Join activist groups and find more resources: Indivisible – Fighting against the constitutional crisis https://indivisible.org/ The People’s Union – Economic boycotts and protest organizing?https://lnkd.in/e7F-app6 Stand Up for Science – Grassroots science advocacy https://lnkd.in/eGea43dk ?? Special thanks to the BrainSTEM production team for editing this recording: Amanpreet Bhogal, Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag. https://lnkd.in/eybFF2AD

This episode is the second installment of the mini-series focused on brain circuits outside of the typical frontal cortex conversation. Today, we hear from Alaina Jaster & Dr. Raul Ramos on the basics of pain and touch perception, as well as how our nerves send information to our brains. Dr. Raul Ramos of UC Berkeley is an expert on studying sensory modalities who is now focusing their work on phenethylamine psychedelics, including DOl. This episode also includes a special guest from a previous episode, talk about the clitoris, and the Grateful Dead. Podcast can be found anywhere or on our website for free! https://lnkd.in/ecqvXW9P

The DEA hearing is only 7 days away! ?? Swipe for details on the upcoming events where you can join our very own Dr. Jaster and many of our guests on the podcast in DC as they fight to keep psychedelics DOI and DOC unscheduled and accessible for scientific research. ???????? SSDP is hosting a FREE educational webinar about this unprecedented 10 day hearing and the events that have led up to this, featuring our own Dr. Jaster & others. Everyone is welcome at the “Keep Psychedelic Research Legal” happy hour in DC - Nov. 11th 5-7pm at The Passenger ?? There will be a press conference outside DEA Headquarters Nov. 12 at 8am, prior to the beginning of the hearing. Any press is welcome! Any supporters are welcome! The hearing begins Nov. 12th and will continue every weekday from 9am to 5pm at the DEA Headquarters. Interested or like-minded parties and individuals are welcome to sit in on this PUBLIC hearing, just be respectful and dress appropriately. If you’re a scientist, wear your lab coat! THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED, the only way to see the action is to be there! But, we’ll try to post some updates as the hearing ensues. #dea #csa #psychedelicscience #warondrugs #waronresearch #ssdp #studentsforsensibledrugpolicy #psychedelicbrainscience #psychedelics #doi #doc #phenethylamine #controlledsubstances #drugpolicy #science #scicomm #research #happyhour

Our newest episode and first in our “Psychedelic Circuitry” series features Tanner Anderson, who will be talking about his fascinating work in the calustrum / anterior cingulate cortex! Listen on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts! ????

This special episode includes presentations from a recent workshop, where Dr. Alaina Jaster (our beloved co-host) of Wayne State University, Dr. Ne?e Devenot of Johns Hopkins and Dr. Gill Bedi of University of Melbourne presented their expertise and perspectives on how the psychedelic research field can move forward from the recent FDA rejection of MDMA-AT. Dr. Jaster's presentation sets the tone by going over recent events, followed by how researchers can be involved in promoting evidence-based regulatory and policy decisions. Dr. Devenot's presentation focused on what it means to be a psychedelic bioethicist and how the recent events have conflated constructive criticism with attacks, followed by a call to be better about having these discussions. Dr. Bedi's presentation discussed how scientists studying MDMA and other psychedelics can better their study design and use methodology that is evidence-based and thorough. These taken together, provided the framework for how to move forward in the field and prompted a discussion by members in the crowd (of which was not recorded to protect those participating). For more information and to see some of the slides or to listen for free, you can go to https://lnkd.in/gnwDpFGr #psychedelics #psychedelicscience #drugpolicy #bioethics #humanities #methodology #mdma #scicomm #science https://lnkd.in/gU59KM8G

There’s been a lot of discussion about what is or isn’t considered a psychedelic drug. Is there a consensus? What makes something #psychedelic? What were these drugs called before the term “psychedelic”? All this & more with special guest Boris Heifets on the newest episode of Your Brain on Science #psychedelicscience #psychedelicbrainscience https://lnkd.in/eGJm2tPW