This is your brain on psychedelics

The key to treating intractable diseases A mental health disorder could be the regeneration of shrunken brain cells.

When it comes to treating neuropsychiatric disorders, “growth is good,” says David Olson, the center’s founding director. Institute of Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics at the University of California, Davis.

This is because in the brains of people with conditions such as depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders, these brain cells, prefrontal cortical neurons, tend to atrophy, with branches shrinking and synapses pruning. Olson told Erin.

co-authored by Olson new researchA study published in Science looked at how the chemical serotonin and hallucinogens affect nerve cells in the brain.

In this study, hallucinogens such as DMT (in ayahuasca), thylocine (in magic mushrooms), and 5-MeO-DMT (in certain toad species) cross cell membranes more readily than serotonin. , was found to cause regrowth of brain cells.

Doctors usually prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac or Paxil for depressed people. To raise serotonin levels Improves communication between neurons.

Comparing Psychedelics to SSRIs: “Conventional SSRIs promote cortical neuron growth, but they grow very slowly,” Olson said. “It takes weeks or months for these neurons to grow back. That just happens to be the exact same time frame that symptoms start to be addressed.”

What this finding means: According to Olson, psychedelics’ superior ability to cross nerve cell membranes may be one reason why psychedelics seem to be better than SSRIs at promoting cortical neuron growth.

Looking to the future: People typically take SSRIs daily to maintain their effects, but Olson believes psychedelics can promote neuronal growth over the long term, allowing patients to take the drugs less frequently.

Exactly how long psychedelic-induced neuronal growth lasts is unknown and may depend on the patient and their environment, as well as the severity of the disease.

“This brings us one step closer to the possibility of identifying safer and more effective therapies to treat conditions such as depression,” said Olson.

Here we explore the ideas and innovators shaping healthcare.

Infection prevention after surgery It could save many lives, and Canadian life sciences company Ondine Biomedical hopes a cure can be found. Its product is a germicidal solution that is activated by a laser to kill pathogens in the patient’s nose that cause many infections.

The results are promising, reported by Bloombergthe technology is currently only approved in Canada and Mexico, with clinical trials underway in the United States.

Share your thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard. [email protected]Ruth Leader [email protected]carmen pawn [email protected] or Erin Shoemaker [email protected].

Send tips securely Via SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp.

Today is
pulse check
podcast, Host Catherine Ellen Foley with Erin on research on the science of sleep presented at a recent panel at the Harvard TH Chang School of Public Health and non-medical factors such as race, education, socioeconomic status, and zip code talk about how it contributes to sleep quality.

Drug Enforcement Administration plans to repeal pandemic telemedicine rules that allowed patients to obtain some common medications without seeing a doctor in person.

The restrictions, which will go into effect once the public health emergency ends in May and authorities make a final decision, will be a major blow to telemedicine advocates.

Patients seeking Adderall to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or those seeking OxyContin for pain relief should go to a doctor’s office before starting the medication.

Patients needing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, testosterone for gender reassignment care, and ketamine for depression can receive supplies for the first 30 days via telemedicine, but need to see a doctor to continue taking these drugs. need to go to

The proposed rule would give patients who started medication during the pandemic 180 days to meet in-person visit requirements.

The DEA said the proposal is a compromise that would scale back pandemic exemptions, but would allow for more telemedicine use than before Covid arrived.

“The DEA is committed to expanding telemedicine with guardrails that prevent online overprescribing of potentially harmful controlled substances,” DEA Administrator Ann Milgram said in a statement.

But telemedicine advocates were disappointed.

“If the Biden administration was proud of this, they wouldn’t have announced it at 7 p.m. Friday,” said the executive director of the Alliance for Connected Care, a telemedicine lobbying group that had asked the DEA to keep it. said Krista Drobac. telemedicine access. “It’s completely antithetical to their goals regarding mental health.”

Americans are not alone lack of exercise.

The lack of physical activity among Europeans costs EU countries as much as €8 billion a year. according to reports It was announced on Friday by the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

More than a third of European adults do not meet the WHO physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Analysis shows that better exercise habits could prevent 11.5 million new cases of non-communicable diseases by 2050, including 3.8 million for cardiovascular disease and 1 million for type 2 diabetes. Nearly 400,000 cases of cancer are involved. It would also prevent 3.5 million cases of depression by 2050, given the benefits of exercise for mental health.

The report recommends several initiatives for policy makers.

— Facilitate activity-related commuting options such as biking or walking.

— Invest in nearby sports infrastructure such as tennis courts and running trails.

— Fund a local sports club.

even so: Differences between countries were great. More than 70% of her adults were guideline compliant in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, whereas more than 40% of her were not compliant in Portugal, Germany and Italy.