Science

[National Institutes of Health 2021 grant]… Structure and function of G protein-coupled receptors [GPCR] heteromeric complexes in brain

October 3, 2021By

Grant Project 5R01MH084894-12: Our published data and the preliminary data presented here support our working hypothesis that inter-family GPCR heteromerization affects structure, sub-cellular localization and function of both 5-HT2AR and mGluR2 in living mammalian cells. Our data are also consonant with the hypothesis that a single dose of hallucinogenic 5-HT2AR agonists induces fast-acting and long-lasting…

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Science

[National Institutes of Health 2021 grant…] the neural correlates of the effects of psilocybin in OCD: randomized controlled study

October 3, 2021By

Funding from the National Institute of Health [NIH], which tends to award larger grants than philanthropists, allows researchers to delve more into the details, Johnson says. Grant Project Number 1K23MH122777-01A1: We hypothesize that psilocybin will result in increased (i.e. normalized) intra-DMN functional connectivity in OCD, and that this will correlate with any clinical change (Aim 1). Baseline…

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Science

[National Institutes of Health 2021 grant] …psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco use disorder

October 3, 2021By

“The funding side of the government has been the last to the party for a long time,” says Matthew Johnson, who studies psychedelics at Johns Hopkins University. Grant Project Number 1U01DA052174-01A1: We hypothesize that psilocybin (compared to niacin) will cause increased biologically-confirmed 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 12-month follow-up. Based on pilot data, we will test cognitive/psychological mediators…

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Psychology

…case studies in cultural plasticity and political pluripotency

October 3, 2021By

We suggest that the historical record supports the concept of psychedelics as “politically pluripotent,” non-specific amplifiers of the political set and setting. …we argue that any experience which undermines a person’s fundamental worldview—which we assert includes the psychedelic experience—can precipitate shifts in any direction of political beliefs post-psychedelic session.  Original Article (Frontiers):Right-wing psychedelia: case studies…

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Science

Stability of tryptamines in psilocybe… mushrooms

October 3, 2021By

…to prevent the degradation of alkaloids, the most suitable conditions were to dry the mushrooms whole and store in the dark at room temperature. Regardless of storage, rapid degradation of all tryptamines was observed in powder form. In the first month [re: powdered mushrooms] the greatest decrease occurred and through the second month the overall…

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Biography/Memoir

…[the evolving] vocabulary of the psychedelic experience

October 3, 2021By

Compared to other psychotropic drugs available in the 1950s, LSD induced “something phenomenal, … of unimaginable intensity,” according to its creator Albert Hofmann. Speaking in an interview in 2004, he continued, “There is a vast difference between the emotional experience of this sensation and its purely abstract, philosophical description. It would be like trying to…

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Anthropology

Detroit to vote on decriminalizing psychedelics…

October 3, 2021By

..[a] spokesperson for DN Detroit, confirmed… that the voters will be deciding the future of personal psychedelic possession for the city on November 6, 2021. Unlike most local Decriminalize Nature initiatives that were approved via city council resolutions, Detroit activists are opting for a ballot measure and letting the voters have a say. “The ballot would allow…

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Anthropology

Where there’s weed, there’s a way

October 3, 2021By

So many Eugeneans have access to the cannabis plant… Another important step in preparing cannabis is decarboxylation, a chemical reaction that converts cannabinoid acids like THCA into activated cannabinoids like THC… Curing involves storing cannabis in airtight containers to prevent the loss of moisture and optimize flavor, though some prefer to keep cannabis dry when…

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