Researchers published a new study that suggests psilocybin can influence the brain for up to three weeks.
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Study participants were randomly assigned either a 25mg dose of psilocybin, or a 40mg of the generic form of Ritalin – but were kept in the dark about which they had been given. One to two weeks later the participants were given the drug they did not initially receive.

The results revealed that taking psilocybin – but not the generic form of Ritalin – was associated with a loss of synchrony in what is known as the default mode network. This is an interconnected group of brain regions that is active when the mind is wandering and the brain isn’t working on a particular task. Crucially, this network is involved in creating a sense of self, as well as showing links to the perception of space and time.

While participants’ brain scans largely returned to normal the day after taking psilocybin, researchers found a reduction in communication between the default mode network and the anterior hippocampus – a part of the brain critical for memory and perceptions of space and time – lasted for three weeks after the dose. Here’s more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07624-5

The Allen Institute launched four projects to investigate these questions through OpenScope, a shared neuroscience observatory. Just as astronomers use a few well-equipped observatories to study the universe, the OpenScope program lets neuroscientists propose and direct experiments on the Allen Brain Observatory pipeline.

One of this year's OpenScope projects will explore how psilocybin changes brain activity at a cellular level. Using advanced recording techniques in mice, scientists will observe how neurons communicate differently under the influence of psilocybin. They will also explore how those changes might influence the brain's ability to process and predict sensory information, which is crucial to understanding how perception is constructed. Check it out: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240715/Allen-Institute-launches-neuroscience-initiatives-on-perception-recognition-and-psychedelics.aspx

Clinical-stage biotech company Asceneuron announced an oversubscribed Series C financing round, securing $100m for advancing therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases.

The capital injection will expedite the progression of Asceneuron’s lead compound, ASN51, into Phase II trials for Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

The oral drug aims to inhibit the OGA enzyme linked to protein aggregation, potentially slowing Alzheimer’s progression. The strategy may also be effective against other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here’s more: https://asceneuron.com/asceneuron-secures-100-million-series-c-financing/

Did you know that MDMA could successfully treat dogs that have been traumatized by abuse?

Neuroscientist Jim Grigsby has posited that MDMA could be beneficial for traumatized dogs. This, after conducting a 2019 study on the effect of MDMA on rats. The study tested whether MDMA could help rats unlearn their fear of a setting where they had experienced a mild shock.

According to Grinsby, the idea was that the memory of the fear itself can be reduced or eliminated. That experiment showed further support for the effectiveness of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, he said. The study showed that MDMA might disrupt the “reconsolidation” of traumatic memories — the process by which they are accessed and then stored again in the brain.

“Every time a memory comes into awareness, it becomes, in a way, fragile, and susceptible to being changed. You can actually change the neural network [that stores the memory],,” Grigsby said. In short, MDMA and other psychedelics may affect the memory rewriting process in a way that edits or eliminates the traumatic memory itself.

Grigsby’s plan for an experiment with dogs would build on that research, but with a different setup — instead of intentionally creating fear or trauma, it would focus on helping dogs who were previously neglected or abused. Here’s more: https://www.cpr.org/2024/07/15/cu-psychedelic-research-center/

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