Science

Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period

Juvenile mice find social experiences more rewarding than do adults. The discovery [is] that psychedelics can re-engage the social neural circuits for varying durations in adults… Gül Dölen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.; …ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin, can reopen the “critical periods” of brain…

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…fentanyl crisis…

…based on figures released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 195 Americans died every single day in 2021 In Multnomah County, Oregon, fatal opioid-related overdoses saw a fivefold increase between 2018 and 2022, according to public health data. A record-high 209 people in the county died from fentanyl overdoses last year. Andrew Suchocki… medical director……

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Psychedelics promote plasticity by directly binding to BDNF receptor TrkB

…psychedelics spurred new growth in both baby and mature neurons. But the mind-bending substances were 1,000 times more efficient than Prozac at grabbing onto a key molecular hub, TrkB. With just a single dose, the drugs elevated mood in mice under chronic stress and reduced a previously-established fear. Psychedelics produce fast and persistent antidepressant effects…

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New study provides insights into the neurophysiological basis of psilocybin-induced alterations in consciousness

“We disproved our initial hypothesis that psychedelic states (here with psilocybin) produce higher complexity,” Ort explained. “Unlike the observed reduction of complexity during dreamless sleep, anesthesia or minimally conscious states, the psychedelic state has the same quantitative complexity as in normal waking – even though the quality of the conscious experience has massively changed.” Ort…

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Chinese labs are selling fentanyl ingredients for millions in crypto

The Elliptic report notes that the tens of millions of dollars worth of precursor sales it tracked on blockchains would likely be enough to manufacture enough fentanyl to, if distributed efficiently, kill every person on earth… the US government may be increasingly aware of the activity of fentanyl precursor sellers in China and of cryptocurrency’s…

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How long to wait between mushrooms trips…

When consuming psilocybin mushrooms, it’s important to consider the development of tolerance. Tolerance refers to the body’s adaptation to the effects of a substance, resulting in a diminished response over time. The tolerance that builds with psilocybin is specifically called tachyphylaxis, which is a rapidly diminishing response to successive doses of a drug, thus rendering it…

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Magic mushrooms seem to have a strange effect on color blindness

After self-administering a color blindness test, known as the Ishihara Test, the subject took five grams of dried mushrooms, which is considered a relatively high dose of psilocybin. He then took the Ishihara Test periodically over the next four months. This test is composed of a series of flashcards that each feature a number made…

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The evolution and ecology of psilocybin in nature

…potential adaptive advantages psiloids may confer to fungi. Fungi produce diverse metabolites that can have antimicrobial, antifungal, antifeedant, or psychoactive properties. Among these metabolites are the tryptamine-derived compounds psilocybin, its precursors, and natural derivatives (collectively referred to as psiloids), which have played significant roles in human society and culture. Original Article (SSRN):The evolution and ecology…

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Why this fungus has over 20,000 sexes

Where we have two traditionally recognized genders, male and female, some species of fungi can have thousands of sexes… to mate, all a fungus has to do is bump up against another member of its species and let their cells fuse together. It sounds confusing, but it’s actually helpful – with so many variations, the…

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