Brain Scientists Are Tripping Out Over Psychedelics
Psychedelic drugs \u2013 like LSD, salvia, ayahuasca, Ibogaine, MDMA (AKA ecstasy), or psilocybin (AKA 'magic mushrooms' or 'shrooms') \u2013 are experiencing a resurgence of interest in their potential medical benefits.
At the Neuroscience 2022 meeting held by the Society of Neuroscience, the appetite for psychedelic research permeated the sessions, discussions, and even after-hours barroom talk \u2014 drawing in researchers, neuroscientists, companies, reporters, and advocates alike.
"In the last couple of years there has been a lot of excitement in psychedelics. I think it started first in the popular media." says Alex Kwan, associate professor at Cornell University. "Neuroscience, actually, I think took another year or two to catch on."
Today on the show, host Aaron Scott and NPR's brain correspondent Jon Hamilton chat psychedelic drugs \u2014 whether this renewed interest will represent incremental or revolutionary changes in the fields of medicine, psychology, and neuroscience.
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