Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
Our mission is to advance our understanding of the basic neurobiology of psychedelics and translate this knowledge into safe and effective therapeutics
- New research in @pnas.org offers fresh insight into how brain connections are lost in #Alzheimer’s disease. The study finds that C4d, a molecule linked to the immune system, increases with age and Alzheimer’s, and can directly trigger the removal of synapses, the connections between neurons.
- #UCDavisIPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social on efforts to bring ibogaine therapy to WA State: The potential for treating #addiction, #PTSD, and #TBI is compelling, but federal legality and limited clinical data remain real barriers. Promising therapies still need rigorous science and safety first.
- This week in #psychedelic science: A new @natureportfolio.nature.com paper disentangles how psychedelics work at the 5-HT2A receptor. The study shows that Gi signaling drives hallucination-like effects, while Gq signaling underlies therapeutic outcomes. Read the study:
- New in @natureportfolio.nature.com - Communications from #UCDavisIPN Affiliate Heike Wulff: Researchers report the first high-resolution cryo-EM structures explaining how small-molecule activators selectively target the KCa2.2 potassium channel.
- #UCDavisIPN affiliate Danielle Stolzenberg spoke with the Mind & Matter podcast about the neurobiology of maternal care and her research on psilocybin exposure during the postpartum period. Check it out!
- Check out the new research from #UCDavisIPN trainees Joseph Beckett and Trey Brasher, introducing a light-driven way to convert amino acids into psychedelic-inspired molecules. These compounds engage the serotonin system and may represent a new class of non-hallucinogenic neurotherapeutics.
- Congratulations to #UCDavisIPN Affiliate and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation grant recipient Alex Nord and the team behind JRT, a non-hallucinogenic analogue of LSD. Their work has been named one of BBRF’s leading research achievements of 2025.
- #UCDavisIPN affiliate Richard Maddock published a meta-analysis that identified a difference in brain choline levels in people with anxiety versus those without. Maddock's team found that brain choline levels in people with anxiety were 8% lower than their non-anxious peers. Read the paper here:
- #UCDavisIPN Affiliates and Ph.D. students Joseph Beckett and Trey Brasher, together with their research advisor and senior author Mark Mascal, have published new research in the Journal of the American Chemical Society using a light-driven chemical reaction to make psychedelic-inspired molecules.
- Check out NatGeo's story on LSD as a treatment for anxiety and #depression. In the piece, #UCDavisIPN Director, @deolsonlab.bsky.social, highlights how JRT, the IPN's non-hallucinogenic #psychedelic analogue of LSD, "could be a game-changer" for expanding access to mental health treatments.
- @thetransmitter.bsky.social named #UCDavisIPN affiliate @doctheagrif.bsky.social and former affiliate @tinakim-neuro.bsky.social as rising stars in the field of #neuroscience for 2025. Read more about their work on voltage gated ion channels and #psychedelic -responsive neurons here:
- Check out #UCDavisIPN Affiliate Danielle Stolzenberg on @drjodipawluski.bsky.social podcast "Mommy Brain Revisited." Danielle discusses just how much we have to learn about #psychedelics as a treatment for the mental health of new mothers and their offspring too. Listen here:
- #UCDavisIPN Affiliate @baleslab.bsky.social and Directors @deolsonlab.bsky.social and John Gray's teams' works were recognized in @thetransmitter.bsky.social list of the Buzziest Neuroscience Papers. Explore the full list and learn what makes these papers stand out: #Neuroscience #Psychedelics
- Attend Cure Addiction Now's forum and webinar to hear directly from leading scientists in the field. There are 3 ways to join - in person, online, or on-demand afterwards! To learn more and register, head to this link: cureaddictionnow.org/the-raw-trut...
- We shared earlier this year that zalsupindole, a non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogue created at @UC Davis by #UCDavisIPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social and his team, entered phase1B clinical trials. We are now thrilled to share the results!!
- Check out #UCDavisIPN affiliate @manvir.bsky.social on the debut episode of the @mindsovermatters.bsky.social podcast. He explores shamanism’s deep roots across cultures and how various aspects have echoed through modern societies.
- Read the latest research from Delix on #zalsupindole, a compound invented at the #UCDavisIPN by director @deolsonlab.bsky.social and his team. Zalsupindole, is a non-dissociative, non-hallucinogenic #psychedelic analogue, and is the first neuroplastogen to be administered to patients with MDD!
- #UCDavisIPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social and his team studied mice without INMT, an enzyme long thought to be essential for producing endogenous #psychedelics like DMT. The surprise...?
- In a new publication from #UCDavisIPN affiliate Danielle Stolzenberg, her team found that postpartum mice given psilocybin showed a long-term increase in anxiety behaviors after a single dose. Even more striking, their offspring experienced similar effects.
- Researchers @umich.edu found #psychedelics can boost brain connections even when neurons don’t have the usual 5-HT2A receptor because nearby cells pass the effect along. At #UCDavisIPN, we’re also exploring surprising ways psychedelics reshape the brain.
- Interested in reading more about the IPN? Join our newsletter! We publish each Spring and Fall. We share about our research of course, but you can also get an inside look at what we're all about here at the #UCDavisIPN. Sign up here:
- IPN collaborator Dr. Uri Manor at @ucsandiego.bsky.social reveals that #psychedelics as well as non-hallucinogenic analogues developed at the #UCDavisIPN can grow new synapses in the cochlea of mice which could open new horizons for treating age-related hearing loss.
- New in @jama.com: A phase 2b trial of an oral LSD formulation (MM120) found that 100 µg and 200 µg doses significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in adults with generalized anxiety disorder. Results support 100 µg as the optimal dose for future trials.
- Reunion Neuroscience has achieved positive topline results from the Phase 2 trial of RE104, a synthetic #psychedelic, in postpartum depression. This marks an exciting milestone for their mission. Remarkably, 71% of patients experienced remission of symptoms within 7 days.
- On @npr.org’s The Sunday Story, IPN Director, @deolsonlab.bsky.social explains how #psychedelics may treat depression by promoting brain plasticity and why he’s working to engineer out the trip. 🎧 Hear more on the psychedelic renaissance and where science is headed:
- Greg Watry of @ucdlands.bsky.social wrote a wonderful article about the #UCDavisIPN's @natureportfolio.nature.com most recent Neuroscience publication. Find out why our associate director, John A. Gray said, "Science is full of surprises." Read the article here: www.ucdavis.edu/news/psyched...
- The field of psychedelic science is finally closer to an answer on how non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogues induce neuroplasticity. Read the new publication from the #UCDavisIPN in @natureportfolio.nature.com Neuroscience about how the team uncovered this using TBG, lasers, and genetic tools.
- #UCDavisIPN Director @deolsonlab.bsky.social spoke with Lisa Wexler from the Voice of Connecticut about JRT, a non-hallucinogenic #psychedelic analogue with potential to treat schizophrenia. 🔗 Listen to David's segment on The Lisa Wexler Show here or anywhere you get your podcasts:
- A team led by @zenbrainest.bsky.social and colleagues screened 41 classical #psychedelics across 318 human receptors. The result? A sweeping map of psychedelic polypharmacology that includes broad activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptors. 🔗 Read the full study:
- Big news in #psychedelic science: Compass Pathways' proprietary psilocybin formulation is the first-ever classic psychedelic in a Phase 3 trial. It showed a significant reduction in depression symptoms compared to placebo. We’re very excited to see the data once published! Read the press release:
- #UCDavisIPN Affiliate @sadeghlab.bsky.social co-authored a new @natureportfolio.nature.com paper revealing how maternal exposure to 5-HT2C agonists can cause the choroid plexus to secrete proteins into cerebrospinal fluid, affecting fetal brain development and behavior into adulthood. Read more:
- Meet us at the Davis Public Library in Davis on May 29th for IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social's author talk on "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion." Register for the event, hosted by the Avid Reader, using the link below. Where: 315 E. 14th Street, Davis, CA 95616 Time: 6:30PM #shamanism #UCDavisIPN
- Now available: Shamanism: The Timeless Religion written by IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social. Manvir's work cuts through myths and binaries, exploring the deeper meaning behind our fascination with shamanism and ancient ways of knowing. Order your copy now: #UCDavisIPN #shamanism
- IPN Affiliate @manvir.bsky.social's new book "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion" releases May 20th. The book is a provocative journey through history, belief, and the incredible diversity of human spiritual and healing practices.
- Thanks to NIH Research Matters team for recognizing the #UCDavisIPN's work on JRT. This work brings us closer to creating effective and practical treatments for patients.
- Fascinating read by IPN affiliate @manvir.bsky.social in @theguardian.com on how stories about “ancient” psychedelic use are often shaped by what tourists want to hear, not necessarily what’s true. This is a must-read for anyone thinking about tradition, authenticity, and modern #psychedelics.
- Check out this write-up on JRT, an LSD analogue created at the #UCDavisIPN published last week in @pnas.org. Thanks to BBRF for highlighting our research on how swapping just two atoms could change how schizophrenia is treated. Read more about our latest study here:
- Thank you, Greg Watry, for this write-up on JRT, our non-hallucinogenic LSD analog from the #UCDavisIPN. This compound has the potential to treat patients affected by schizophrenia! @ucdavismedschool.bsky.social @ucdlands.bsky.social @ucdaviscns.bsky.social
