Neuroscience of Psychedelics

Stephen Wisser and I studied together at Hamilton College. He is such a lovely friend, and really gives me a run for my money when it comes to curiosity and eclectic interests. Studying for his doctorate in neuroscience at University of Pennsylvania, Stephen has taken a bit of time to chat with me about some work within his field; psychedelics. 

It’s a topic that can be touchy given it’s historical baggage and moral questionings, but the realm of research is both up-and-coming as well as deeply fascinating. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Citations and Further Reading:

[1] 2006 study with psilocybin from Roland Griffiths’ group. Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology, 187, 268-283.

[2] Robin Carhart Harris and fMRI study investigating the decrease of the default mode network Carhart-Harris, R. L., Erritzoe, D., Williams, T., Stone, J. M., Reed, L. J., Colasanti, A., … & Nutt, D. J. (2012). Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(6), 2138-2143.

[3] referenced the work in this paper regarding dendritic spines. ​​Shao, L. X., Liao, C., Gregg, I., Davoudian, P. A., Savalia, N. K., Delagarza, K., & Kwan, A. C. (2021). Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo. Neuron, 109(16), 2535-2544.

[4] Michael Pollan book Pollan, M. (2019). How to change your mind: What the new science of psychedelics teaches us about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression, and transcendence. Penguin. https://a.co/d/6EShaWB

[5] Oliver Sacks book Sacks, O. (2013) Hallucinations. Vintage. https://a.co/d/fMN1S9t

[6] Article about Australia’s legalization of psychedelics. Wertheimer, B. T. (2023, June 30). Australia legalises psychedelics for mental health. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66072427

[7] Some of the dates and people discussed for the early history. Cloud, J. (2007, April 23). When the Elite Loved LSD. TIME.com. https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1613675,00.html