Science

New method tracks how psychedelics affect neurons in minutes

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a rapid, noninvasive tool to track the neurons and biomolecules activated in the brain by psychedelic drugs. The protein-based tool, which is called Ca2+-activated Split-TurboID, or CaST… This research provides scientists with a new technique that could be used to track step by step the molecular…

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Fatal overdoses increase after police seize drugs, study finds

“The ubiquity of fentanyl in the drug supply affords people who use drugs almost no margin of error if they make a dosing mistake,” Brandon del Pozo, an assistant professor (research) at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health said … …for decades, efforts by police to seize illicit drugs have…

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…to know about the drug known as ‘gas station heroin’

Tianeptine has already become part of the nation’s struggle with opioids. Drug dealers have used it to make counterfeit hydrocodone and oxycodone pills… or to fill baggies made to resemble heroin packages. In their work, Jonathan Javitch, a professor at Columbia University and a research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Dali and…

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Stimulant users caught up in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

In the U.S., the first wave of the long-running and devastating opioid epidemic began with the abuse of prescription painkillers (early 2000s); the second wave involved an increase in heroin use, starting around 2010. The third wave began when powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl started appearing in the supply around 2015. Now experts are observing…

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Magic mushrooms may have shaped our consciousness

No toxic or lethal Psilocybe species are known. Evidence indicates that early hominids – our extinct ancestors – had been picking and eating “magic mushrooms” up to six million years ago. The practice likely influenced the development of human cognition and awareness, according to a recent review examining psilocybin’s effect on human consciousness… published in June 2024… recent studies have shown…

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Microdosing and tripping on mushrooms is on the rise in U.S.

That study tracked internet search history on microdosing – a proxy for public interest – finding about a 1,250% increase since 2015. And searches for psilocybin started to outpace LSD in 2019… this type of data analysis has proven to be a reliable indicator for other drugs their lab has studied – including with novel…

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Older people who use psychedelics show fascinating brain functions

A recent survey of 3,294 US adults, aged between 42 and 92, has found that… compared to those who did not use psychedelics, those who did scored higher on tests… which assessed inductive reasoning, verbal fluency, working memory, processing speed, attention switching, and inhibitory control. Psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and other psychedelics appear to stimulate new connections between…

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F.D.A. warns against ‘microdosing’ mushroom chocolate bars

Some bars branded as “mushroom” edibles may contain psilacetin, sometimes called c, a compound that produces similar effects to psilocybin, said Dr. Mason Marks, a law professor at Harvard University and Florida State University who specializes in psychedelic regulation.  At least 26 people in 16 states have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars and…

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Youth marijuana use in Colorado continues to decline since legalization took effect…

“There have been no substantial increases at all,” said Marsha Lopez, chief of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) epidemiological research branch. “In fact, they have not reported an increase in perceived availability either, which is kind of interesting.” Another earlier analysis from CDC found that rates of current and lifetime cannabis use among high…

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