Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
@ucdavisipn.bsky.social
Our mission is to advance our understanding of the basic neurobiology of psychedelics and translate this knowledge into safe and effective therapeutics
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.
Structural basis for the subtype-selectivity of KCa2.2 channel activators - Nature Communications
Activators of KCa2.2 channels constitute potential novel treatments for neurologic disorders. Here, authors report cryo-EM structures of activator-bound channels, providing a framework for structure-b...
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:51 PM
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!
Stress & Psilocybin: Effects on Maternal Care & Offspring Development | Danielle Stolzenberg | 270
Neurobiology of maternal care in mammals: hormonal influences, stress effects & a study on psilocybin's unexpected effects during the postpartum period.
mindandmatter.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:34 PM
#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.
Creating Hallucination-free, Psychedelic-like Molecules by Shining Light on Life’s Basic Building Blocks
UC Davis researchers have developed a new method that uses light to transform amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — into molecules that are similar in structure to psychedelics and mimic the...
lettersandsciencemag.ucdavis.edu
January 7, 2026 at 6:44 PM
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.
2025 Leading Research Achievements | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
We are pleased to present you with the 2025 Leading Research Achievements by BBRF Grantees, Prize Winners & Scientific Council Members.
bbrfoundation.org
January 6, 2026 at 5:08 PM
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:
Read the paper here:
Transdiagnostic reduction in cortical choline-containing compounds in anxiety disorders: a 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy meta-analysis - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - Transdiagnostic reduction in cortical choline-containing compounds in anxiety disorders: a 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy meta-analysis
www.nature.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
#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:
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.
Transforming Amino Acids into Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Ligands Using Photochemistry
A light-induced cyclization via a radical spin-center shift process that results in the direct functionalization of the indole ring at the C4-position is developed into a practical method for the synt...
pubs.acs.org
December 22, 2025 at 8:23 PM
#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.
LSD for anxiety and depression? Some early studies show promise.
Researchers are investigating whether the drug could be used in mainstream medicine—with and without its hallucinatory effects.
www.nationalgeographic.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:13 PM
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:
The Transmitter’s Rising Stars of Neuroscience 2025
We recognize the outstanding achievements of 25 neuroscientists who stand to shape the field for years to come.
www.thetransmitter.org
December 2, 2025 at 4:35 PM
@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:
60. Psychedelics Postpartum
open.spotify.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
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
The buzziest neuroscience papers of 2023, 2024
The field took note of work on brain-computer interfaces for speech, the mechanism of psychedelics, defining hippocampal representations, and more.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
#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...
November 5, 2025 at 5:38 PM
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!!
www.businesswire.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:11 PM
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.
We're kicking things off with evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Manvir Singh for a fascinating conversation about a phenomenon that repeatedly appears across human cultures: shamanism. But why is this the case? What is shamanism? Why does it repeatedly develop across societies? Join us to find out.
Seeing Shamanism Everywhere
YouTube video by Minds Over Matters
youtu.be
October 16, 2025 at 8:16 PM
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!
Zalsupindole is a Nondissociative, Nonhallucinogenic Neuroplastogen with Therapeutic Effects Comparable to Ketamine and Psychedelics
Many neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, involve synaptic loss and atrophy of the prefrontal cortex. The rapid regrowth of cortical neurons has been hypothesized to explain the rapid an...
pubs.acs.org
October 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM
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...?
October 2, 2025 at 7:54 PM
#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.
Psilocybin during the postpartum period induces long-lasting adverse effects in both mothers and offspring - Nature Communications
The treatment potential of psilocybin for postpartum depression was investigated in a preclinical mouse model. Here the authors show both acute and long-term effects of psilocybin in mothers and their offspring who were exposed via lactation.
www.nature.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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.
Psychedelic neuroplasticity of cortical neurons lacking 5-HT2A receptors - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - Psychedelic neuroplasticity of cortical neurons lacking 5-HT2A receptors
www.nature.com
September 24, 2025 at 4:19 PM
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:
UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics & Neurotherapeutics Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter:
docs.google.com
September 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
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.
@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.
Scientists find psychedelics stimulate the growth of new synapses in the ear
Scientists are exploring the possibilities
spectrumnews1.com
September 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
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.
@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.
Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder
This randomized clinical trial assesses the dose-response relationship of MM120 (lysergide D-tartrate) vs placebo in adults with moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder.
jamanetwork.com
September 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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.
Reunion Neuroscience Announces Positive Topline Results from RECONNECT Phase 2 Clinical Trial of RE104 for the Treatment of Postpartum Depression (PPD)
-- Achieved Primary Endpoint with 30mg Dose of RE104 Demonstrating 23.0-Point Reduction from Baseline in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)...
www.globenewswire.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:20 PM
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:
🎧 Hear more on the psychedelic renaissance and where science is headed:
Can Psychedelic Therapy Go Mainstream? : Up First from NPR
Research shows that psychedelics can help with a range of mental health conditions, like PTSD and depression. So why can't you get them from your doctor? Today on The Sunday Story, we take a trip thro...
www.npr.org
August 6, 2025 at 5:54 PM
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:
🎧 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...
Read the article here: www.ucdavis.edu/news/psyched...
Psychedelics and Non-hallucinogenic Analogs Work Through the Same Receptor, Up to a Point
Understanding exactly how psychedelics promote new connections in the brain is critical to developing targeted, non-hallucinogenic therapeutics that can treat neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric di...
www.ucdavis.edu
August 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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...
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.
The psychoplastogen tabernanthalog induces neuroplasticity without proximate immediate early gene activation - Nature Neuroscience
Aarrestad et al. show that, in contrast to psychedelics, the nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogen tabernanthalog promotes neuroplasticity through 5-HT2AR activation without immediately increasing extrace...
www.nature.com
August 4, 2025 at 3:21 PM
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:
🔗 Listen to David's segment on The Lisa Wexler Show here or anywhere you get your podcasts:
A New Drug Could Revolutionize Treating Mental Health | The Lisa Wexler Show
shows.acast.com
July 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
#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:
🔗 Listen to David's segment on The Lisa Wexler Show here or anywhere you get your podcasts: