This Is Your Brain on Psychedelics
Summary
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews neuroscientist Golnaz Goshen about how psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin reopen "critical periods" in the brain, restoring childhood-like neuroplasticity. They discuss how this mechanism aids in treating PTSD and stroke recovery by allowing the brain to relearn adaptive behaviors, while noting it does not reverse neurodegenerative diseases. The episode also covers the historical use of ibogaine and the importance of therapeutic context in psychedelic experiences.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and intro: SNHU, Rosetta Stone, ChatGPT
Introduction of Dr. Gary Lewin and his background
History of psychedelics and animal use
LSD discovery and early research on insanity
Octopus experiments with MDMA and social reward
MDMA mechanism: serotonin transporters and hangovers
Neuroplasticity and the definition of psychoplastogens
Critical periods and memory encoding via population coding
Conrad Lorenz, imprinting, and language critical periods
Therapeutic context and the dangers of reopening trauma
The noetic property and astronaut Edgar Mitchell
Applications: Stroke recovery, dementia, and couples therapy
Oxytocin, love, and vulnerability in relationships
Ibogaine: Origins, addiction treatment, and legal status
Racism in drug scheduling and objective reality
Sensory deprivation and the feeling of altered states
Why octopuses? Evolutionary distance and intelligence
Octopus behavior, Aristotle, and conclusion
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