Ready to get sciency? We're talking psychedelic neuroscience on Tuesday, September 12 at 9:00 am Pacific. By leaving outdated serotonin theories behind and focusing on the real deal - how these mind-altering compounds work their magic by messing with the brain's networks.
When it comes to psychedelics and psycho-active compounds like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, mescaline, MDMA, and ketamine the effects on human cognition and perception are nothing short of mind-blowing. Users often describe experiencing vivid hallucinations, a deep sense of unity with the universe, and a distortion of time itself. But how do these compounds generate such profound and mystical states?
Traditionally, serotonin has been considered the primary player. Psychedelics share structural similarities with serotonin and bind to its receptors, leading scientists to believe that overstimulation of these receptors induces the psychedelic experience.
However, recent evidence challenges this serotonin-centric perspective. Advanced brain imaging techniques have revealed that psychedelics actually disrupt the normal communication between the brain's attention networks. There are changes in connectivity between networks like the default mode (the one associated with our sense of self), the salience network (responsible for detecting important stimuli), the visual network and others. This whole "disorganizing" process sets the brain free from its usual stuck-in-a-rut patterns.
On Wednesday at 1:00 pm Pacific, in our share and care room, we'll share our own experiences with psychedelics through this neuroscience lens. How did they change our attention, perception, and felt connections? What insights does this research give us into these consciousness-expanding compounds?
Join me for an eye-opening exploration into what truly goes on in the brain during a psychedelic journey. It's going to be mind-bending, enlightening, and thought-provoking all at once! See you there!
