Science

UC Berkeley… psychedelics survey

The majority of American voters support policy reforms for psychedelics, the survey revealed… over half of voters (56%) polled support obtaining FDA approval for psychedelics by prescription. Almost half (49%) support removing criminal penalties for personal use and possession with support for spiritual and religious use polling at just over four out of ten (44%)……

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Reductions in experiential avoidance play a key role in the therapeutic effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy, study finds

A new study indicates that reductions in experiential avoidance play a significant role in the therapeutic effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy among depressed patients, leading to improvements in well-being and reductions in depression severity, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, highlight the importance of experiential avoidance as a potential mechanism…

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Magic mushroom chocolate…

“Similar to cannabis edibles, if psilocybin products look like candy and/or are labeled like candy, and have no protective packaging…” says Dr. Sudakin… a medical toxicologist… “When you’re looking at toxicology you’re looking at how much you’re ingesting compared to the patient’s body size,” says Dr. Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Johns…

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Can psilocybin stimulate neurogenesis in the hippocampus?

Increasing evidence suggests psilocybin may promote neuroplasticity, contributing to its antidepressant effects. In some people, postmortem studies indicate, depression may be related to disrupted adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN)—the birth and growth of new neurons in the hippocampus. This mechanism is important for regulating mood and maintaining spatial learning and memory throughout life, and it is critical for brain plasticity……

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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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