Wesley J. B. Vaught
@wjbvaught.bsky.social
a wannabe physician-neuroscientist (mdphd) with stops in cognition, emotion, neuropsychopharmacology, and critiques of (psychedelic and beyond) science. Views are own.
Pinned
I am hoping to use this platform as a way to connect and journal my thoughts, so that I continue to grow intellectually outside of my research job right now. I plan on posting any papers and books I read alongside how I have engaged with them. Plus, if I drop a paper, y’all will see it first!
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Living by the ethos of David Nunan: “Being truly evidence-based means having to accept that most people/groups will not consider you their friend.”
x.com/dnunan79/sta...
x.com/dnunan79/sta...
David Nunan on X: "Being truly evidence-based means having to accept that most people/groups will not consider you their friend." / X
Being truly evidence-based means having to accept that most people/groups will not consider you their friend.
x.com
September 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Living by the ethos of David Nunan: “Being truly evidence-based means having to accept that most people/groups will not consider you their friend.”
x.com/dnunan79/sta...
x.com/dnunan79/sta...
Check out our new paper, “Attention to Alcohol Cues is Related to Alcohol-Related Problems in College Students with Low Distress tolerance.” Attached is the abstract, main figure, the link to the paper and Kudos for a layman summary:
psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/...
link.growkudos.com/1dykz5dg268
psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/...
link.growkudos.com/1dykz5dg268
August 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Check out our new paper, “Attention to Alcohol Cues is Related to Alcohol-Related Problems in College Students with Low Distress tolerance.” Attached is the abstract, main figure, the link to the paper and Kudos for a layman summary:
psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/...
link.growkudos.com/1dykz5dg268
psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/...
link.growkudos.com/1dykz5dg268
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Great to see a study come out with null results for psilocybin-assisted therapy. It's not gonna work for everyone, everywhere-these kinds of studies are important in figuring out how and where to deploy it. This is a pretty small sample for an rct with an active control. #psychedelicscience
Hi everyone, if you are interested in #psychedelic-assisted therapy, we just published a new study: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... Congratulations to Dr. Nathalie Rieser, who has done a terrific job spearheading this project.
Psilocybin-assisted therapy for relapse prevention in alcohol use disorder: a phase 2 randomized clinical trial
Despite the promising therapeutic effects of psilocybin, its efficacy in preventing relapse after withdrawal treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) …
www.sciencedirect.com
March 16, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Great to see a study come out with null results for psilocybin-assisted therapy. It's not gonna work for everyone, everywhere-these kinds of studies are important in figuring out how and where to deploy it. This is a pretty small sample for an rct with an active control. #psychedelicscience
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
None of this “I’m too busy”, “science isn’t political”, or “I’m tired”…
We are on the front lines of a descent into fascism. Put the pipette down. It’s go time.
We are on the front lines of a descent into fascism. Put the pipette down. It’s go time.
March 16, 2025 at 11:38 PM
None of this “I’m too busy”, “science isn’t political”, or “I’m tired”…
We are on the front lines of a descent into fascism. Put the pipette down. It’s go time.
We are on the front lines of a descent into fascism. Put the pipette down. It’s go time.
#standupforscience2025 in Tulsa, OK yesterday. As @awiglesworth.bsky.social said, we (and the folks driving by) learned something.
March 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
#standupforscience2025 in Tulsa, OK yesterday. As @awiglesworth.bsky.social said, we (and the folks driving by) learned something.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies www.thetransmitter.org/policy/exclu...
Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies
Such a shift would “put us back in the dark ages in terms of our science,” says neuroscientist Anne Murphy, who helped to formulate the original policy.
www.thetransmitter.org
February 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies www.thetransmitter.org/policy/exclu...
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Medicaid is not for sale.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
February 21, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Medicaid is not for sale.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
NASA is not for sale.
The Post Office is not for sale.
America is not for sale.
We have an obligation to resist kings. We outnumber them. And they can be overwhelmed.
Thinking a lot about these brilliant papers by @neselsd.bsky.social, @brianpace.bsky.social, and Jac Lewis. Feels VERY relevant to the moment and Elon/RFK Jr.’s obsession with psychedelics. Seems they are having a White suprematist typa existentialism and hoping everyone will jump on board!
February 20, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Thinking a lot about these brilliant papers by @neselsd.bsky.social, @brianpace.bsky.social, and Jac Lewis. Feels VERY relevant to the moment and Elon/RFK Jr.’s obsession with psychedelics. Seems they are having a White suprematist typa existentialism and hoping everyone will jump on board!
Anti-psychiatry is on the rise from all political positions. A great book that I have begun to read, but was introduced to by @drrobertchapman.bsky.social’s book Empire of Normality, is PsychoPolitics by Peter Sedewick from the @plutopress.bsky.social. It is a MUST HAVE critique of anti-psychiatry.
Why do I #standupforscience2025? Because as a new mom with PPD during peak COVID, SSRIs brought me back from the depths of darkness. Now this administration wants to "reassess" the efficacy/safety of these CRUCIAL medications. Not on my watch! ✊🏼❤️
Before vs. after ⬇️ @standupforscience.bsky.social
Before vs. after ⬇️ @standupforscience.bsky.social
February 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Anti-psychiatry is on the rise from all political positions. A great book that I have begun to read, but was introduced to by @drrobertchapman.bsky.social’s book Empire of Normality, is PsychoPolitics by Peter Sedewick from the @plutopress.bsky.social. It is a MUST HAVE critique of anti-psychiatry.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Just in case anybody has doubts about what "Make America Healthy Again" really means, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. filed a trademark request to use the slogan to market supplements, essential oils & cryptocurrency. Scammity scam-scam scamming scammer. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
RFK Jr. sought to trademark MAHA for vaccine marketing, transferred to ally
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. transferred ownership of the trademark application in December and its abbreviation — MAHA — to an LLC managed by Del Bigtree.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Just in case anybody has doubts about what "Make America Healthy Again" really means, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. filed a trademark request to use the slogan to market supplements, essential oils & cryptocurrency. Scammity scam-scam scamming scammer. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
🚨 BREAKING: OMB has just issued a memo *rescinding* the previous memo freezing all federal financial assistance programs.
Full text, per government source:
Full text, per government source:
January 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
🚨 BREAKING: OMB has just issued a memo *rescinding* the previous memo freezing all federal financial assistance programs.
Full text, per government source:
Full text, per government source:
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
They know the executive order is illegal, it's not designed to survive a challenge.
They are blaring a message designed to get people to censor themselves and throw their colleagues under the bus and fall in line.
2/2
They are blaring a message designed to get people to censor themselves and throw their colleagues under the bus and fall in line.
2/2
January 29, 2025 at 5:59 PM
They know the executive order is illegal, it's not designed to survive a challenge.
They are blaring a message designed to get people to censor themselves and throw their colleagues under the bus and fall in line.
2/2
They are blaring a message designed to get people to censor themselves and throw their colleagues under the bus and fall in line.
2/2
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
If you have a smidge of power and you catch yourself thinking:
Maybe we'll be safe if we:
- tone this justice program a bit
- take that 'decolonization' reference off the website
- nix that grant for decarbonization...
know that you are playing your part in Trump's game perfectly.
1/2
Maybe we'll be safe if we:
- tone this justice program a bit
- take that 'decolonization' reference off the website
- nix that grant for decarbonization...
know that you are playing your part in Trump's game perfectly.
1/2
January 29, 2025 at 5:59 PM
If you have a smidge of power and you catch yourself thinking:
Maybe we'll be safe if we:
- tone this justice program a bit
- take that 'decolonization' reference off the website
- nix that grant for decarbonization...
know that you are playing your part in Trump's game perfectly.
1/2
Maybe we'll be safe if we:
- tone this justice program a bit
- take that 'decolonization' reference off the website
- nix that grant for decarbonization...
know that you are playing your part in Trump's game perfectly.
1/2
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Your regular reminder that the first known clinic to offer gender-affirming surgeries was … destroyed by Nazis.
In 1933.
(Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.)
They always come for trans people first.
In 1933.
(Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.)
They always come for trans people first.
January 29, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Your regular reminder that the first known clinic to offer gender-affirming surgeries was … destroyed by Nazis.
In 1933.
(Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.)
They always come for trans people first.
In 1933.
(Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.)
They always come for trans people first.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Do you know why a president would do all the most evil and heinous shit via Executive Order? Because his party can't easily make it law. And if they can't make it law, they can't make it last.
Don't let anyone make you feel like this is The End. Do not let them demoralize you. Live to see them die.
Don't let anyone make you feel like this is The End. Do not let them demoralize you. Live to see them die.
January 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Do you know why a president would do all the most evil and heinous shit via Executive Order? Because his party can't easily make it law. And if they can't make it law, they can't make it last.
Don't let anyone make you feel like this is The End. Do not let them demoralize you. Live to see them die.
Don't let anyone make you feel like this is The End. Do not let them demoralize you. Live to see them die.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
GOOD NEWS: A federal court temporarily halted President Trump's order to freeze all federal funding, including grants for public health, education, and safety.
Trump's order would have devastating consequences for communities in every corner of the nation. Our leaders must block it for good.
Trump's order would have devastating consequences for communities in every corner of the nation. Our leaders must block it for good.
January 28, 2025 at 11:34 PM
GOOD NEWS: A federal court temporarily halted President Trump's order to freeze all federal funding, including grants for public health, education, and safety.
Trump's order would have devastating consequences for communities in every corner of the nation. Our leaders must block it for good.
Trump's order would have devastating consequences for communities in every corner of the nation. Our leaders must block it for good.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
If you are scientists, researcher, or scholar of any kind, it's time to invest HEAVILY in science communication. If the government won't let the people know the facts, we must.
And I already got you covered. #academicsky #science #phd #research
medium.com/educreation/...
bsky.app/profile/roxa...
And I already got you covered. #academicsky #science #phd #research
medium.com/educreation/...
bsky.app/profile/roxa...
January 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
If you are scientists, researcher, or scholar of any kind, it's time to invest HEAVILY in science communication. If the government won't let the people know the facts, we must.
And I already got you covered. #academicsky #science #phd #research
medium.com/educreation/...
bsky.app/profile/roxa...
And I already got you covered. #academicsky #science #phd #research
medium.com/educreation/...
bsky.app/profile/roxa...
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Does loneliness correlate with support for the populist radical right? In the Netherlands, yes-lonelier individuals were more likely to support the PRR across 15 years of data (2008-2023), with effect sizes comparable to health correlates of loneliness. (1/9)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Loneliness is positively associated with populist radical right support
The mental and physical health consequences of loneliness are well documented. However, loneliness's socio-political ramifications have been largely u…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 22, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Does loneliness correlate with support for the populist radical right? In the Netherlands, yes-lonelier individuals were more likely to support the PRR across 15 years of data (2008-2023), with effect sizes comparable to health correlates of loneliness. (1/9)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
“What Should We Do with Our Brains?” by Catherine Malabou
Short answer: use it!
Long answer: neuroscientists and philosophers who do not engage in each others’ materials are damned to be stuck in the ideas that they aim to transcend - a much needed dialectal (neuro)plasticity
Short answer: use it!
Long answer: neuroscientists and philosophers who do not engage in each others’ materials are damned to be stuck in the ideas that they aim to transcend - a much needed dialectal (neuro)plasticity
January 7, 2025 at 3:21 PM
“What Should We Do with Our Brains?” by Catherine Malabou
Short answer: use it!
Long answer: neuroscientists and philosophers who do not engage in each others’ materials are damned to be stuck in the ideas that they aim to transcend - a much needed dialectal (neuro)plasticity
Short answer: use it!
Long answer: neuroscientists and philosophers who do not engage in each others’ materials are damned to be stuck in the ideas that they aim to transcend - a much needed dialectal (neuro)plasticity
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
A must-read thread about public health and the politics of appeasement. ⬇️
So, you may ask, why do I get so angry about the new liberal spin on RFK Jr, as in, "he gets some things right, so let's collaborate on those" or "we have to work with him because he has a huge following we need to reach"? Because I've seen this movie before. 1/
January 2, 2025 at 12:22 PM
A must-read thread about public health and the politics of appeasement. ⬇️
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
One interesting thing about Musk is that his very public behaviours are making it increasingly clear to more and more people that capitalism is the enemy of democracy, a truth that used to be more widely understood but which was suppressed during the cold war.
January 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM
One interesting thing about Musk is that his very public behaviours are making it increasingly clear to more and more people that capitalism is the enemy of democracy, a truth that used to be more widely understood but which was suppressed during the cold war.
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
"[MAPS principal investigator] Van der Kolk’s approach does more than just demean individual [female SV] survivors. It flattens violence into 'trauma,' ignoring the social forces that allow it to flourish."
The issues here pertain to many MAPS-trained clinicians: www.motherjones.com/media/2024/1...
The issues here pertain to many MAPS-trained clinicians: www.motherjones.com/media/2024/1...
What the most famous book about trauma gets wrong
People kept telling me to read "The Body Keeps the Score." I was shocked at what it actually says.
www.motherjones.com
December 21, 2024 at 4:08 PM
"[MAPS principal investigator] Van der Kolk’s approach does more than just demean individual [female SV] survivors. It flattens violence into 'trauma,' ignoring the social forces that allow it to flourish."
The issues here pertain to many MAPS-trained clinicians: www.motherjones.com/media/2024/1...
The issues here pertain to many MAPS-trained clinicians: www.motherjones.com/media/2024/1...
Reposted by Wesley J. B. Vaught
Neu-AIRR lab “paper in a day” 2024 is underway! Our first attempt to do this on the same day as the institute holiday luncheon. Fingers crossed!
December 17, 2024 at 4:09 PM
Neu-AIRR lab “paper in a day” 2024 is underway! Our first attempt to do this on the same day as the institute holiday luncheon. Fingers crossed!