Psychedelics and the Brain

As we learned earlier in the course, there are many different categories of psychedelic medicines which interact with the brain in different ways.

While discussing exactly how each individual medicine works goes beyond the scope of this introductory course, we’ll learn about how psychedelics work from a very high level.

Video: How Psychedelics Work

5:36

John Hopkins professor Matthew Johnson discusses how each category of psychedelics works in the brain from a high level. We will also learn how changes triggered by psychedelics are both biological and psychological.

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In our Molecular Foundations of Ketamine, MDMA, and Psilocybin courses, you will learn about the molecular structure of each medicine as well as the specific ways that these medicines impact our brain based on current research, including how the medicine affects the different areas of the brain as well as how the body processes the medicine.

Video: Entropic Brain Theory and the REBUS Model

4:41

Well known psychedelic neuroscientist and psychologist, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, proposes a theory for how psychedelics work in the brain, ultimately resulting in long-term changes, mystical states, and shifts in perception which we’ll learn more about in this video (Carhart-Harris & Friston, 2019).

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To learn more about this topic, please watch this interview with Dr. Carhart-Harris called Psychedelics, Entropy, and Plasticity.

References

Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Friston, K. J. (2019). REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 71(3), 316-344.