Psychedelic Brain Science

Episod

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  Polysubstance Use, Psychedelics & Social Withdrawal ft. Dr. Leah Salinsky 09.03.2026 45min

  In this episode, Dr. J is joined by Dr. Leah Salinsky, a postdoctoral researcher at University of Washington. They discuss the role of serotonin in addiction, the importance of drug discrimination models, and the unique interactions between psychedelics and opioids. Leah shares insights from her current research on polysubstance use, some unpublished findings, and the potential of psychedelics to reverse social deficits associated with substance use disorders.For her recent publications discussed in this episode:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12OI64pebeQ8Hj2zhxn-zdPj1DEAVZSJS?usp=sharing
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  Justice & Integrity in Psychedelic Medicine ft. Victoria Cvitanovic 05.02.2026 43min

  In this episode of Psychedelic Brain Science, Dr. J is joined by Victoria Cvitanovic, a lawyer at Rudick Law Group with a focus on psychedelic medicine, cannabis and healthcare. Throughout the episode they discuss the evolving landscape of drug policy with an emphasis on the importance of understanding the consequences of drug laws on individuals and communities. Victoria also shares her own experiences as a prosecutor, lawyer, and someone with a disability, and how that has shaped her own practice and advocacy. Check out links below for more resources!Rudick Law Group: https://www.rudicklawgroup.com/National Bail Fund: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directoryResources on Disability Justice:https://transgenderlawcenter.org/programs/disability-project/Resources on scientific advocacy: https://www.psychedelicbrainscience.com/post/so-you-want-to-be-an-advocate
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  Radical Hospitality and Psychedelic Spaces ft. Dimitri Mugianis 06.01.2026 46min

  In this episode, Dr. J is joined by Dimitri Mugianis, who has previously been featured on This American Life, Psychedelics Today and stars in the documentary I’m Dangerous With Love, which chronicles his work and life.Through the podcast, they discuss the darker side of addiction, recovery through the use of Ibogaine and how Dimitri has come full circle to helping create space to meet people where they are. Topics covered may not be suitable for everyone as we discuss suicide, IV drug use and more.He discusses his experiences in the underground treatment community, the cultural significance of Ibogaine, and the importance of creating safe, supportive spaces for healing. Dimitri emphasizes the need for radical hospitality and the needed shift of the field to recognize what frameworks are harmful in the psychedelic and psychiatric spaces, advocating for a more compassionate approach to addiction recovery and community support.His company, Cardea aims to create unique and artistic spaces that allow people to experience full expressions of themselves. Through experimentation with sound, art, and comfort at all levels, they provide a psychedelic therapy that is atypical. Cardea is also partnering with community members across the globe to inspire radical change through the Furthur Fund. Check out more on https://cardea.net/.
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  What's Cookin? From Kitchen to Cognition ft. Andrew Ferns 08.12.2025 38min

  In this episode, Dr. Jaster is joined by Andrew Ferns, a PhD Candidate at University North Texas, to discuss his unique journey from a chef struggling with addiction to clandestine chemist to PhD researching the effects of psychedelics on cognitive decline. Andrew's current research focuses on the role of psychedelics in aging and cognitive decline, exploring innovative methods to study these effects. For some background reading on his research topics check out: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12bgnxnH3Eod_oGcz-jml1bBIfiy3Fjas?usp=sharing
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  Community Focused Research for Addiction ft. Samantha Bumgardaner 03.11.2025 40min

  This episode, Dr. Jaster is joined by Samantha Bumgardaner, MS, who is currently studying substance use disorders and psychedelics for her PhD at Saint Louis University.Her work employs mixed-method approaches to study the influence of state and trait factors on substance use and mental health outcomes in psychedelic therapies. They discuss everything from qualitative vs. quantitative research, therapeutic outcomes, accessibility to psychedelics, behavioral vs. physiological addiction + more!
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  Entheogenic Decrim in Michigan ft. Rep. Mike McFall and Julie Barron 10.10.2025 43min

  This special episode of Psychedelic Brain Science is a collaboration with Psychedelic State(s) of America. Here, Dr. Jaster is joined by Julie Barron of Michigan Psychedelic Society and MI State Rep. Mike McFall to discuss the evolving landscape of psychedelic advocacy in Michigan, recent legislative efforts, and the importance of events like the Entheo Cup. For information about Rep. McFall + legislation: https://housedems.com/mike-mcfall/https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1900001For information about MI Psychedelic Society and Julie: https://mipsychedelicsociety.org/For coverage on MI Community + Legislation:https://www.lucid.news/michigans-psychedelic-advocates-persist/https://www.lucid.news/michigan-psychedelic-community-entheogens-and-activism/
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  Naturalistic Psilocybin and Addictive Behaviors ft. Dr. Jérémie Richard 01.10.2025 51min

  This episode Dr. Jaster is joined by Dr. Jérémie Richard, a psychologist and Assistant Professor at University of Ottawa. At the time of recording, Dr. Richard was a Banting Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.This episode discusses a recent publication by Richard and colleagues titled, "Patterns of Internalizing Problems, Substance Use and Cognitive Flexibility Before and After Naturalistic Psilocybin Use: A Repeated Measures Latent Profile Analysis"We know that's a mouth full, but don't worry! As you listen you can follow along to the paper and the figure that Dr. Richard references available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zSIz4z4BM-EK7EHFi5dXEAJnjh1DbAGq?usp=sharing
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  The Fight for Psilocybin Rescheduling ft. Dr. Sunil Aggarwal and Shane Pennington 22.09.2025 40min

  In this special episode, Alaina discusses the ongoing fight for the rescheduling of psilocybin with Dr. Sunil Aggarwal and attorney Shane Pennington. They delve into the complexities of the rescheduling process, the legal challenges faced, and the importance of public advocacy in shaping drug policy. The conversation highlights the significance of psilocybin in therapeutic contexts, the right to try act, and the evolving landscape of drug regulation in the United States.For more information check out these links:AIMS Institute - IG @aimsinstituteseattlehttps://www.aimsinstitute.net/category/news/https://facebook.com/aimsinstitutepllcNational Psychedelics Association - https://yournpa.org/dea-petition/Dr. Sunil Aggarwal - IG @sunil1007 -Twitter ⁠x.com/humansunilCannabinologist.orghttps://Facebook.com/humansunilhttps://Facebook.com/Sunil.aggarwal1Shane Pennington - https://www.blankrome.com/people/shane-a-pennington
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  Are the Kids Alright? Part 2: Cannabis Use in Adolescents ft. Brooke Sanders 09.09.2025 53min

  Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by Brooke Sanders, MS, a translational neuroscientist focused on understanding epigenetic impacts of synthetic cannabinoids on the human genome. She is also a Content Advisor for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.They discuss a variety of projects Sanders is involved in including:Assessing social aspects of cannabis use in adolescentsMS project studying epigenetic changes following synthetic cannabis administrationHarm reduction and drug policy at the national and international level including her experience speaking at the United NationsIs Cannabis a Psychedelic Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ttrtyHJcwZbtkKkx3BvyN?si=W0i88lhyRmKZoSmb-104aQCannabis and California Sober ft. Dr. Grinspoon: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MPaF0ru4ZF2QUztqAugCZ?si=30PG-m2FSDCX8wgPhXqiswPsyChild Database: https://www.psychild.info/Other resources related to the episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sp-BaLozZN6FCHuEYAyNdM5hiokiKtX-?usp=sharing
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  Causal Fridays: Bathtub Jeans and Gene Therapy 15.08.2025 21min

  Welcome to the first Causal Friday! These short segments are all about chatting casually with friends, family or strangers and how the most random interests can intersect with science. They will air on a random Friday each month, so you have to subscribe to get the notification!The first guest of this segment is Dr. Jaster's husband and voice of the famous podcast disclaimer, Chris Wood. Here, they discuss raw denim jeans and the ethics of gene therapy. Let us know what you think and don't forget to like, subscribe, share and check out our patreon!
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  Are the Kids Alright? Psychedelic Use in Adolescents ft. Dr. David Sjöström 05.08.2025 1j 1min

  Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. David Sjöström who is at the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden. He is a current PhD candidate studying adolescent use of psychedelics and perceived effects on wellbeing. They discuss a variety of projects Sjöström is involved in including:Clinical trial exploring the effects of psilocybin in young adults (ages 16–35) with anorexia nervosa which was just recently received full approval.psiTWIN, a twin study examining how age, personality, set/setting, and the quality of the acute psychedelic experience influence outcomesPhD project assessing psychedelic experiences in adolescents in Sweden and BrazilFor access to the papers referenced in this episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LNNKtTgDjLQNohKSKGHmwPb0PRxRD7oR?usp=sharing PsyChild Database: https://www.psychild.info/
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  Cross-Collaborative Exploration of Psilocybin's Effects ft. Odilia Lu, Dr. Robert Malenka & Dr. Boris Heifets 05.05.2025 58min

  The final episode of Season 4 of Psychedelic Brain Science discusses a recent preprint that gets at the heart of reproducibility in science. Dr. Jaster is joined by Berkeley PhD candidate Odilia Lu, Stanford researcher and professor Dr. Robert Malenka, and anesthesiologist and Stanford researcher Dr. Boris Heifets, all representing the laboratories involved in the Psychedelic Bay Area Animal Neuroscience Consortium; Psy-BAANC.Five laboratories performed the same experiments at Stanford, Berkeley and UCSF  to test the acute and persistent effects of 2 mg/kg psilocybin on various behaviors that psychedelics have been proposed to affect in mouse models. Many of these methods have been featured in publications that have received a lot of media attention, but can be difficult to replicate. This body of work titled “A multi-institutional investigation of psilocybin’s effects on mouse behavior” can be found on BioRxiv here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.08.647810v1
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  Touch in Psychedelic Therapy ft. Kayla Greenstien 08.04.2025 1j 3min

  In this episode, Dr. Jaster is joined by Kayla Greenstien, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney researching touch in psychedelic therapy. They'll define different types of touch, theoretical frameworks behind focused bodywork and the ideas surrounding consent to touch in psychedelic therapy. Given the nature of this discussion, there is mention of sexual assault, trauma and abuse so please listen with caution.For more of Kayla's works:https://kaylagreenstien.com/https://medium.com/@kgreenstienA starting point for history on Esalen:https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/453699.htmlHolotropic Medicine, Stan Grof’s Influence on MDMA Research Papers we touched on can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Qy6iJ8Suur3JtUmI1yRo5x06gN7BVj0D?usp=sharing
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  Science Under Threat! ft. Dr. Hilary Marusak & Dr. Christine Rabinak 09.03.2025 59min

  In this special episode of Psychedelic Brain Science, Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by Dr. Hilary Marusak, host of BrainSTEM and Principle Investigator in the THINK lab at Wayne State University. They are also joined by Dr. Christine Rabinak, a world-leading PTSD researcher, who brings a unique perspective on the impact of recent federal funding cuts—not just on scientific innovation, but also on patients whose lives depend on this research. The conversation centers on the Trump administration’s executive actions affecting NIH indirect costs and broader federal science funding freezes. These cuts threaten groundbreaking research, training the next generation of scientists, and the economic and public health benefits of biomedical innovation. Beyond the numbers, they also affect real people—patients with PTSD, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions who rely on scientific progress for hope and treatment.  Scientists across the country are facing uncertainty, and the lack of clear information has created widespread concern. But there are ways to take action. In this episode, we highlight concrete steps researchers, advocates, and the public can take to push back against these harmful policies and fight for the future of science. 🔗 Topics Covered:  ​How recent NIH funding cuts and freezes impact research, jobs, and innovation  ​The ripple effects on early-career scientists and the next generation of researchers  ​The role of science in shaping policy—and how policy shapes science  ​Firsthand perspectives from both researchers and patients affected by these decisions  ​Actionable steps for advocacy and protecting scientific funding 📢 Take Action:  ​Contact your representatives via phone or email: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/ ​Make 5 calls in 5 minutes to advocate for NIH and NSF funding:https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ ​Check out templates for emailing and a fact sheet specific to DEIA in health and drug policy here: https://ssdp.org/blog/action-alert-support-funding-for-scientific-research/ ​Sign petitions and stay informed through professional societies: https://www.sfn.org/Advocacy/Advocacy-Network/Advocacy-Action-Center/Available-Actions?fbclid=IwY2xjawIV8gtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcoVtD4ypMm9S_YXTzJ-iORHELm4xuZwa5c8TaO6xT7ZgcGdJIso5bU6jA_aem_pRj4tTcv1XuHnCiQtkwfwQ#/29  ​Join activist groups and find more resources:  ​Indivisible – Fighting against the constitutional crisis https://indivisible.org/ ​The People’s Union – Economic boycotts and protest organizing https://jointhepeoplesunion.com/ ​Stand Up for Science – Grassroots science advocacy https://www.standupforscience2025.org/STAND-UP-FOR-SCIENCE-2025-1965a8bd7a44806a8182dc6b75b80da2🧠 Special thanks to the BrainSTEM production team for editing this recording: Amanpreet Bhogal, Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag.
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  Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus ft. Dr. Jason Luoma 03.03.2025 48min

  On this weeks ISRP Speaker Spotlight Alaina is joined by psychologist and co-founder of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus (OPEN), Dr. Jason Luoma. They discuss evaluation of psychedelic assisted therapy in the real world following legalization in Portland, Oregon.Register for ISRP at https://www.ISRPsych.org to catch Dr. Luoma's presentation March 7 at 4:15 PM EDT / 1:15 PM PDT.For more about OPEN: https://www.openpsychedelicscience.org/Currently Recruiting in Oregon: https://www.openpsychedelicscience.org/longitudinalDr. Luoma's podcast "Research Matters": https://jasonluoma.com/researchmatters/
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  Ibogaine & Ocular Dominance Plasticity ft. Alejo Acuña 24.02.2025 36min

  This weeks ISRP Speaker Spotlight is Alejo Acuña, a PhD student in Biology at the Neuroplasticity Unit of the Laboratorio de Neurociencias, University of the Republic, Uruguay. Alejo's project focuses on atypical psychedelic, Ibogaine, and how it can enhance ocular dominance plasticity in the mouse visual cortex, as part of a broader effort to understand its potential role in promoting brain plasticity. If you liked what you heard today, register for the virtual ISRP conference at ISRPsych.org. Alejo kicks off the conference at 11:10 EST / 8:10 PST!For research articles mentioned in the episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QctEWR-rkofMkXRD7I6QoyRSoaMtg6xz?usp=drive_link
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  Psychedelic Therapy... in Rodents? ft. Kate Lawson 17.02.2025 41min

  This episode is the first of three in our special ISRP Speaker Spotlight series. We've decided to showcase some amazing scientists that will be presenting at the virtual International Society for Psychedelic Research Conference March 7! It's not too late to register at: https://www.isrpsych.org/conferencesOur first feature is Kate Lawson, a PhD student at UC Irvine studying the persistent effects of stress in rodent models and how these negative effects may be reversed by psychedelics. We chat about ultrasonic vocalizations in rodents, the importance of translational models, and what mouse god smells like. For more about her research, register for ISRP and tune into her talk at 11:55am EDT / 8:55am PDT.
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  What is a Psychedelic? ft. Dr. Boris Heifets 17.02.2025 1j 3min

  In this episode, Alaina discusses the evolving language about some of our favorite substances and how we got to the term psychedelic. In the first segment, she highlights some historical names for psychedelic substances in western medicine. In the second segment, she is joined by Stanford anesthesiologist and psychedelic researcher Dr. Boris Heifets to discuss how the scientific field classifies compounds as psychedelic and how to make sense of the psychedelic experience. For more on Dr. Heifets research:https://heifetslab.stanford.edu/publications/For more on the history and references discussed in the introduction:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14761703/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584606000364https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ajp.108.8.572https://academic.oup.com/ijnp/article/16/10/2165/652314?login=truehttps://marijuana-uses.com/mr-x/https://content.ucpress.edu/title/9780520285422/9780520285422_chapter1.pdfContent only reflects opinions of the authors and does not reflect the opinion of others or author affiliations.
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  Special Episode: Charting a Path Forward ft. Dr. Gill Bedi & Dr. Neşe Devenot 17.02.2025 42min

  This special episode includes presentations from a recent workshop, where Dr. Alaina Jaster, Dr. Neşe Devenot of Johns Hopkins and Dr. Gill Bedi of University of Melbourne presented their expertise and perspectives on how the psychedelic research field can move forward from the recent FDA rejection of MDMA-AT. Dr. Jaster's presentation sets the tone by going over recent events, followed by how researchers can be involved in promoting evidence-based regulatory and policy decisions.Dr. Devenot's presentation focused on what it means to be a psychedelic bioethicist and how the recent events have conflated constructive criticism with attacks, followed by a call to be better about having these discussions.Dr. Bedi's presentation discussed how scientists studying MDMA and other psychedelics can better their study design and use methodology that is evidence-based and thorough. These taken together, provided the framework for how to move forward in the field and prompted a discussion by members in the crowd (of which was not recorded to protect those participating). For more information and to see some of the slides, you can go to psychedeliccbrainscience.com
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  Seeing Through the Smoke ft. Dr. Peter Grinspoon 17.02.2025 54min

  Alaina is joined by physician, author, activist and educator Dr. Peter Grinspoon to discuss the use of psychedelics and cannabis in recovery, the stigma associated with drug use and the idea of "california sober."Have questions or want to read his book? Check out Dr. Grinspoon's website https://www.petergrinspoon.com/