Alex Kwan
@alexkwan.bsky.social
Professor at Cornell BME. Studying the neurobiology of psychiatric #drugs including #ketamine and #psychedelics.
https://alexkwanlab.org
https://alexkwanlab.org
Pinned
Alex Kwan
@alexkwan.bsky.social
· Dec 5
We used rabies virus 👾 to map how #psilocybin modifies long-range circuits 🧠, revealing network-specific reorganization that we didn’t expect.
The full study is now online at Cell. @cp-cell.bsky.social
Paper 👉 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Thread for a synopsis 👉
bsky.app/profile/alex...
The full study is now online at Cell. @cp-cell.bsky.social
Paper 👉 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Thread for a synopsis 👉
bsky.app/profile/alex...
Seems risky to start with a receptor specific agonist with unclear clinical relevance 🤷♂️
February 7, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Seems risky to start with a receptor specific agonist with unclear clinical relevance 🤷♂️
That’s why we go with receptor knockouts..
Different approach - top-down or bottom-up?
Different approach - top-down or bottom-up?
February 7, 2026 at 11:10 PM
That’s why we go with receptor knockouts..
Different approach - top-down or bottom-up?
Different approach - top-down or bottom-up?
Regarding point 8, it is a confound if the goal is to hone in on 5-HT2A agonism.
Usually we are interested in the drug itself, where as you show - polypharmacology is part of the deal. That is the whole package and the totality of the effects is what we want to measure in the brain.
Usually we are interested in the drug itself, where as you show - polypharmacology is part of the deal. That is the whole package and the totality of the effects is what we want to measure in the brain.
February 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Regarding point 8, it is a confound if the goal is to hone in on 5-HT2A agonism.
Usually we are interested in the drug itself, where as you show - polypharmacology is part of the deal. That is the whole package and the totality of the effects is what we want to measure in the brain.
Usually we are interested in the drug itself, where as you show - polypharmacology is part of the deal. That is the whole package and the totality of the effects is what we want to measure in the brain.
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Our paper with @vyazovskiy.bsky.social showcasing research conducted at @ox.ac.uk @oxforddpag.bsky.social is out!
We describe the effects of the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT on brain states and sleep via EEG, LFP & freely moving oculometry.
Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#EEG #neuroskyence
We describe the effects of the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT on brain states and sleep via EEG, LFP & freely moving oculometry.
Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#EEG #neuroskyence
Vigilance state dissociation induced by 5-MeO-DMT in mice - Communications Biology
Administration of 5-MeO-DMT produces a dissociated brain state in mice, characterized by global slow-wave activity alongside behavioral wakefulness and marked pupil dilation.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Our paper with @vyazovskiy.bsky.social showcasing research conducted at @ox.ac.uk @oxforddpag.bsky.social is out!
We describe the effects of the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT on brain states and sleep via EEG, LFP & freely moving oculometry.
Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#EEG #neuroskyence
We describe the effects of the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT on brain states and sleep via EEG, LFP & freely moving oculometry.
Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s42...
#EEG #neuroskyence
A quick trip down the road to visit Binghamton University today.
First thing I saw was these giant brain prints on the windows. 🧠😀
First thing I saw was these giant brain prints on the windows. 🧠😀
February 5, 2026 at 9:59 PM
A quick trip down the road to visit Binghamton University today.
First thing I saw was these giant brain prints on the windows. 🧠😀
First thing I saw was these giant brain prints on the windows. 🧠😀
Reposted by Alex Kwan
News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District.
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 AM
News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District.
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Taking the #GRCBasalGanglia Oath ✋🏼
I acknowledge that the go/no-go model of the BG was useful but it is outdated and incorrect, or at least incomplete. I pledge not to use the go/no-go model as a strawman to motivate my work.
I acknowledge that the go/no-go model of the BG was useful but it is outdated and incorrect, or at least incomplete. I pledge not to use the go/no-go model as a strawman to motivate my work.
February 2, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Taking the #GRCBasalGanglia Oath ✋🏼
I acknowledge that the go/no-go model of the BG was useful but it is outdated and incorrect, or at least incomplete. I pledge not to use the go/no-go model as a strawman to motivate my work.
I acknowledge that the go/no-go model of the BG was useful but it is outdated and incorrect, or at least incomplete. I pledge not to use the go/no-go model as a strawman to motivate my work.
Not sure where your pACC sits relative to our coordinates though. The region we targeted for tracing may be more anterior.
January 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Not sure where your pACC sits relative to our coordinates though. The region we targeted for tracing may be more anterior.
We saw a fair amount of input cells in AId and AIv with monosynaptic rabies tracing from ACAd in the recent paper.
Those inputs where notably modified after drug administration.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41352354/
Those inputs where notably modified after drug administration.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41352354/
Psilocybin triggers an activity-dependent rewiring of large-scale cortical networks - PubMed
Psilocybin holds promise as a treatment for mental illnesses. One dose of psilocybin induces structural remodeling of dendritic spines in the medial frontal cortex in mice. The dendritic spines would be innervated by presynaptic neurons, but the sources of these inputs have not been identified. Here …
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
January 27, 2026 at 2:55 PM
We saw a fair amount of input cells in AId and AIv with monosynaptic rabies tracing from ACAd in the recent paper.
Those inputs where notably modified after drug administration.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41352354/
Those inputs where notably modified after drug administration.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41352354/
Thanks it is definitely giving us some experiments to try!
Are there variants of these models that include interneuron subtypes?
Are there variants of these models that include interneuron subtypes?
January 23, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Thanks it is definitely giving us some experiments to try!
Are there variants of these models that include interneuron subtypes?
Are there variants of these models that include interneuron subtypes?
We may have some data to evaluate the variability aspect of your hypothesis - e.g., signal and noise correlation measurements.
Top-down and button-up inputs can be strictly defined in a model, but it may not be so clear cut in the brain to be testable. Though the idea is certainty enticing.
Top-down and button-up inputs can be strictly defined in a model, but it may not be so clear cut in the brain to be testable. Though the idea is certainty enticing.
January 23, 2026 at 9:21 PM
We may have some data to evaluate the variability aspect of your hypothesis - e.g., signal and noise correlation measurements.
Top-down and button-up inputs can be strictly defined in a model, but it may not be so clear cut in the brain to be testable. Though the idea is certainty enticing.
Top-down and button-up inputs can be strictly defined in a model, but it may not be so clear cut in the brain to be testable. Though the idea is certainty enticing.
Important to developing stronger models to understand psychedelic's effects!
It was particularly surprising for me to see that plasticity was elevated at intermediate alpha, given the gating scheme in the architecture. Your explanation makes sense.
cc @tyrellturing.bsky.social
It was particularly surprising for me to see that plasticity was elevated at intermediate alpha, given the gating scheme in the architecture. Your explanation makes sense.
cc @tyrellturing.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Important to developing stronger models to understand psychedelic's effects!
It was particularly surprising for me to see that plasticity was elevated at intermediate alpha, given the gating scheme in the architecture. Your explanation makes sense.
cc @tyrellturing.bsky.social
It was particularly surprising for me to see that plasticity was elevated at intermediate alpha, given the gating scheme in the architecture. Your explanation makes sense.
cc @tyrellturing.bsky.social
Reposted by Alex Kwan
My (now) weekly update on 2026 NIH funding.
New and competitive renewal awards.
3 new awards (compared to ~100 expected based on recent years).
No new ICs... still just NIA, NINDS, NIDCD, and NIDCR.
1/2
New and competitive renewal awards.
3 new awards (compared to ~100 expected based on recent years).
No new ICs... still just NIA, NINDS, NIDCD, and NIDCR.
1/2
January 16, 2026 at 2:37 PM
My (now) weekly update on 2026 NIH funding.
New and competitive renewal awards.
3 new awards (compared to ~100 expected based on recent years).
No new ICs... still just NIA, NINDS, NIDCD, and NIDCR.
1/2
New and competitive renewal awards.
3 new awards (compared to ~100 expected based on recent years).
No new ICs... still just NIA, NINDS, NIDCD, and NIDCR.
1/2
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Our paper on the "Oneirogen hypothesis" is now up in its revised form on eLife!
This is the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a dream-like state, which we show via modelling could explain a variety of perceptual and learning effects from such drugs.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
🧠📈 🧪
This is the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a dream-like state, which we show via modelling could explain a variety of perceptual and learning effects from such drugs.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
🧠📈 🧪
The oneirogen hypothesis: modeling the hallucinatory effects of classical psychedelics in terms of replay-dependent plasticity mechanisms
elifesciences.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Our paper on the "Oneirogen hypothesis" is now up in its revised form on eLife!
This is the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a dream-like state, which we show via modelling could explain a variety of perceptual and learning effects from such drugs.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
🧠📈 🧪
This is the hypothesis that psychedelics induce a dream-like state, which we show via modelling could explain a variety of perceptual and learning effects from such drugs.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
🧠📈 🧪
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Important message from Nev Jones to sr people in the field:
Don’t treat young emerging researchers w/ lived experience as a checkbox. Asking them for a grant letter solely because of lived experience puts them in a difficult-to-impossible bind due to power dynamics @acnporg.bsky.social #ACNP2026
Don’t treat young emerging researchers w/ lived experience as a checkbox. Asking them for a grant letter solely because of lived experience puts them in a difficult-to-impossible bind due to power dynamics @acnporg.bsky.social #ACNP2026
January 13, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Important message from Nev Jones to sr people in the field:
Don’t treat young emerging researchers w/ lived experience as a checkbox. Asking them for a grant letter solely because of lived experience puts them in a difficult-to-impossible bind due to power dynamics @acnporg.bsky.social #ACNP2026
Don’t treat young emerging researchers w/ lived experience as a checkbox. Asking them for a grant letter solely because of lived experience puts them in a difficult-to-impossible bind due to power dynamics @acnporg.bsky.social #ACNP2026
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Can humans & animals really use internal maps to take shortcuts?
Tolman famously said yes - based largely on his Sunburst maze.
Our new review & meta-analysis suggests evidence is far weaker than you might think.
🧵👇 doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
@uofgpsychneuro.bsky.social @ejneuroscience.bsky.social
Tolman famously said yes - based largely on his Sunburst maze.
Our new review & meta-analysis suggests evidence is far weaker than you might think.
🧵👇 doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
@uofgpsychneuro.bsky.social @ejneuroscience.bsky.social
Tolman's Sunburst Maze 80 Years on: A Meta‐Analysis Reveals Poor Replicability and Little Evidence for Shortcutting
In 1946, Tolman et al. reported that rats could take a novel shortcut to a goal after training on an indirect route, supporting the Cognitive Map theory. However, a review of subsequent Sunburst maze...
doi.org
January 5, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Can humans & animals really use internal maps to take shortcuts?
Tolman famously said yes - based largely on his Sunburst maze.
Our new review & meta-analysis suggests evidence is far weaker than you might think.
🧵👇 doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
@uofgpsychneuro.bsky.social @ejneuroscience.bsky.social
Tolman famously said yes - based largely on his Sunburst maze.
Our new review & meta-analysis suggests evidence is far weaker than you might think.
🧵👇 doi.org/10.1111/ejn....
@uofgpsychneuro.bsky.social @ejneuroscience.bsky.social
Been waiting for such a study to relate #psilocybin dose to 5-HT2AR occupancy in the mouse brain.
They found RO₅₀ = 0.88 mg/kg.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
They found RO₅₀ = 0.88 mg/kg.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
January 6, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Been waiting for such a study to relate #psilocybin dose to 5-HT2AR occupancy in the mouse brain.
They found RO₅₀ = 0.88 mg/kg.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
They found RO₅₀ = 0.88 mg/kg.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Alex Kwan
What is the computational role of dendritic excitations? Byung Hun Lee and team mapped voltage dynamics throughout the dendritic trees of CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice navigating in virtual reality. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 4, 2026 at 6:17 AM
What is the computational role of dendritic excitations? Byung Hun Lee and team mapped voltage dynamics throughout the dendritic trees of CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice navigating in virtual reality. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thanks for sharing this. Trying to learn more about networks delineated by neuroimaging since our last study, and this video is the clearest explanation yet. 👍
December 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Thanks for sharing this. Trying to learn more about networks delineated by neuroimaging since our last study, and this video is the clearest explanation yet. 👍
Number of BME faculty job opening is noticeably down this year.
We just had this question at a faculty meeting and @pratted.bsky.social has the visualization for the answer.
We just had this question at a faculty meeting and @pratted.bsky.social has the visualization for the answer.
December 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Number of BME faculty job opening is noticeably down this year.
We just had this question at a faculty meeting and @pratted.bsky.social has the visualization for the answer.
We just had this question at a faculty meeting and @pratted.bsky.social has the visualization for the answer.
Great write-up on the current state of mouse behavioral tests for #psychedelics by @callimcflurry.bsky.social
Can't wait to see those new assays to be developed and validated further.
Can't wait to see those new assays to be developed and validated further.
Neuroscientists are working to solve a behavior problem in preclinical psychedelics research: Instead of identifying a simple test yielding a universal result, they are designing more nuanced tasks that better reflect human behavior.
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
bit.ly/4jc24lW
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
bit.ly/4jc24lW
Psychedelics research in rodents has a behavior problem
Simple behavioral assays—originally validated as drug-screening tools—fall short in studies that aim to unpack the psychedelic mechanism of action, so some behavioral neuroscientists are developing…
www.thetransmitter.org
December 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Great write-up on the current state of mouse behavioral tests for #psychedelics by @callimcflurry.bsky.social
Can't wait to see those new assays to be developed and validated further.
Can't wait to see those new assays to be developed and validated further.
Reposted by Alex Kwan
Survivorship Bias Sugar Cookies for the Human Genetics Department Holiday Baking Extravaganza
December 18, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Survivorship Bias Sugar Cookies for the Human Genetics Department Holiday Baking Extravaganza