Rewriting Old Habits with Psychedelics
How do psychedelics create changes that last beyond the experience itself? This event brings together two perspectives to explore that question, from what’s happening inside brain cells to how our thoughts and habits take shape. We’ll look at how researchers are tracking where these molecules go in the brain and what they interact with, alongside how psychedelics can shift overall brain activity and help loosen deeply ingrained patterns of thinking. Together, these insights reveal how psychedelics may help the brain move beyond its usual routines and open the door to more flexible, adaptive ways of thinking.
Meet the speakers!
Sara Zimmerman (she/her)
Tiny Brains, Big Trips: What Zebrafish Can Teach Us About Psychedelic Drug Action
How can a single molecule have such profound effects on the whole brain? Psilocybin — the psychedelic in magic mushrooms — closely resembles serotonin, and acts across many receptor types and brain regions at once. To better understand these widespread effects, we need to see the whole brain in action. Larval zebrafish, with their transparent, pinhead-sized brains, offer a unique window to do just that - from the whole system down to individual cells.
Shelby McGriff (she/her)
Lifting the Needle: Psychedelics and the Science of Breaking Patterns
The brain is like a record, spinning day to day in the same grooves - each one carved over a lifetime for the highest fidelity signal. This talk explores the neuroscience of these mental defaults and what psychedelics reveal about loosening them, from foundational theory to new and emerging brain imaging research.