Psychedelic Brain Science

In this special episode, Alaina discusses the ongoing fight for the rescheduling of psilocybin with Dr. Sunil Aggarwal and attorney Shane Pennington. They delve into the complexities of the rescheduling process, the legal challenges faced, and the importance of public advocacy in shaping drug policy. The conversation highlights the significance of psilocybin in therapeutic contexts, the right to try act, and the evolving landscape of drug regulation in the United States.

For more information check out these links:

AIMS Institute - IG @aimsinstituteseattlehttps://www.aimsinstitute.net/category/news/https://facebook.com/aimsinstitutepllc

National Psychedelics Association - https://yournpa.org/dea-petition/

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal - IG @sunil1007 -Twitter ⁠x.com/humansunilCannabinologist.org

https://Facebook.com/humansunil

https://Facebook.com/Sunil.aggarwal1

Shane Pennington -

https://www.blankrome.com/people/shane-a-pennington

Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by Brooke Sanders, MS, a translational neuroscientist focused on understanding epigenetic impacts of synthetic cannabinoids on the human genome. She is also a Content Advisor for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

They discuss a variety of projects Sanders is involved in including:

• Assessing social aspects of cannabis use in adolescents

• MS project studying epigenetic changes following synthetic cannabis administration
• Harm reduction and drug policy at the national and international level including her experience speaking at the United Nations

Is Cannabis a Psychedelic Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ttrtyHJcwZbtkKkx3BvyN?si=W0i88lhyRmKZoSmb-104aQ

Cannabis and California Sober ft. Dr. Grinspoon: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MPaF0ru4ZF2QUztqAugCZ?si=30PG-m2FSDCX8wgPhXqisw

PsyChild Database: https://www.psychild.info/

Other resources related to the episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sp-BaLozZN6FCHuEYAyNdM5hiokiKtX-?usp=sharing

Welcome to the first Causal Friday!

These short segments are all about chatting casually with friends, family or strangers and how the most random interests can intersect with science. They will air on a random Friday each month, so you have to subscribe to get the notification!

The first guest of this segment is Dr. Jaster's husband and voice of the famous podcast disclaimer, Chris Wood. Here, they discuss raw denim jeans and the ethics of gene therapy.

Let us know what you think and don't forget to like, subscribe, share and check out our patreon!

Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. David Sjöström who is at the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden. He is a current PhD candidate studying adolescent use of psychedelics and perceived effects on wellbeing.

They discuss a variety of projects Sjöström is involved in including:

• Clinical trial exploring the effects of psilocybin in young adults (ages 16–35) with anorexia nervosa which was just recently received full approval.

• psiTWIN, a twin study examining how age, personality, set/setting, and the quality of the acute psychedelic experience influence outcomes
• PhD project assessing psychedelic experiences in adolescents in Sweden and Brazil

For access to the papers referenced in this episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LNNKtTgDjLQNohKSKGHmwPb0PRxRD7oR?usp=sharing

PsyChild Database: https://www.psychild.info/

The final episode of Season 4 of Psychedelic Brain Science discusses a recent preprint that gets at the heart of reproducibility in science.

Dr. Jaster is joined by Berkeley PhD candidate Odilia Lu, Stanford researcher and professor Dr. Robert Malenka, and anesthesiologist and Stanford researcher Dr. Boris Heifets, all representing the laboratories involved in the Psychedelic Bay Area Animal Neuroscience Consortium; Psy-BAANC.

Five laboratories performed the same experiments at Stanford, Berkeley and UCSF  to test the acute and persistent effects of 2 mg/kg psilocybin on various behaviors that psychedelics have been proposed to affect in mouse models. Many of these methods have been featured in publications that have received a lot of media attention, but can be difficult to replicate.

This body of work titled “A multi-institutional investigation of psilocybin’s effects on mouse behavior” can be found on BioRxiv here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.08.647810v1

In this episode, Dr. Jaster is joined by Kayla Greenstien, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney researching touch in psychedelic therapy. They'll define different types of touch, theoretical frameworks behind focused bodywork and the ideas surrounding consent to touch in psychedelic therapy. Given the nature of this discussion, there is mention of sexual assault, trauma and abuse so please listen with caution.

For more of Kayla's works:

https://kaylagreenstien.com/

https://medium.com/@kgreenstien

A starting point for history on Esalen:

https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/453699.html

Holotropic Medicine, Stan Grof’s Influence on MDMA Research

Papers we touched on can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Qy6iJ8Suur3JtUmI1yRo5x06gN7BVj0D?usp=sharing

In this special episode of Psychedelic Brain Science, Dr. Alaina Jaster is joined by Dr. Hilary Marusak, host of BrainSTEM and Principle Investigator in the THINK lab at Wayne State University. They are also joined by Dr. Christine Rabinak, a world-leading PTSD researcher, who brings a unique perspective on the impact of recent federal funding cuts—not just on scientific innovation, but also on patients whose lives depend on this research. 

The conversation centers on the Trump administration’s executive actions affecting NIH indirect costs and broader federal science funding freezes. These cuts threaten groundbreaking research, training the next generation of scientists, and the economic and public health benefits of biomedical innovation. Beyond the numbers, they also affect real people—patients with PTSD, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions who rely on scientific progress for hope and treatment. 

Scientists across the country are facing uncertainty, and the lack of clear information has created widespread concern. But there are ways to take action. In this episode, we highlight concrete steps researchers, advocates, and the public can take to push back against these harmful policies and fight for the future of science. 

🔗 Topics Covered: 

• ​How recent NIH funding cuts and freezes impact research, jobs, and innovation 
• ​The ripple effects on early-career scientists and the next generation of researchers 
• ​The role of science in shaping policy—and how policy shapes science 
• ​Firsthand perspectives from both researchers and patients affected by these decisions 
• ​Actionable steps for advocacy and protecting scientific funding 

📢 Take Action: 

• ​Contact your representatives via phone or email: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/
• ​Make 5 calls in 5 minutes to advocate for NIH and NSF funding:https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/
• ​Check out templates for emailing and a fact sheet specific to DEIA in health and drug policy here: https://ssdp.org/blog/action-alert-support-funding-for-scientific-research/
• ​Sign petitions and stay informed through professional societies: https://www.sfn.org/Advocacy/Advocacy-Network/Advocacy-Action-Center/Available-Actions?fbclid=IwY2xjawIV8gtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcoVtD4ypMm9S_YXTzJ-iORHELm4xuZwa5c8TaO6xT7ZgcGdJIso5bU6jA_aem_pRj4tTcv1XuHnCiQtkwfwQ#/29 

​Join activist groups and find more resources: 

• ​Indivisible – Fighting against the constitutional crisis https://indivisible.org/
• ​The People’s Union – Economic boycotts and protest organizing https://jointhepeoplesunion.com/
• ​Stand Up for Science – Grassroots science advocacy https://www.standupforscience2025.org/STAND-UP-FOR-SCIENCE-2025-1965a8bd7a44806a8182dc6b75b80da2

🧠 Special thanks to the BrainSTEM production team for editing this recording: Amanpreet Bhogal, Manmeet Bhogal, and Gabby Maramag.

On this weeks ISRP Speaker Spotlight Alaina is joined by psychologist and co-founder of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus (OPEN), Dr. Jason Luoma. They discuss evaluation of psychedelic assisted therapy in the real world following legalization in Portland, Oregon.

Register for ISRP at https://www.ISRPsych.org to catch Dr. Luoma's presentation March 7 at 4:15 PM EDT / 1:15 PM PDT.

For more about OPEN: https://www.openpsychedelicscience.org/

Currently Recruiting in Oregon: https://www.openpsychedelicscience.org/longitudinal

Dr. Luoma's podcast "Research Matters": https://jasonluoma.com/researchmatters/

This weeks ISRP Speaker Spotlight is Alejo Acuña, a PhD student in Biology at the Neuroplasticity Unit of the Laboratorio de Neurociencias, University of the Republic, Uruguay. Alejo's project focuses on atypical psychedelic, Ibogaine, and how it can enhance ocular dominance plasticity in the mouse visual cortex, as part of a broader effort to understand its potential role in promoting brain plasticity. 

If you liked what you heard today, register for the virtual ISRP conference at ISRPsych.org. Alejo kicks off the conference at 11:10 EST / 8:10 PST!

For research articles mentioned in the episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QctEWR-rkofMkXRD7I6QoyRSoaMtg6xz?usp=drive_link

This episode is the first of three in our special ISRP Speaker Spotlight series. We've decided to showcase some amazing scientists that will be presenting at the virtual International Society for Psychedelic Research Conference March 7! It's not too late to register at: https://www.isrpsych.org/conferences

Our first feature is Kate Lawson, a PhD student at UC Irvine studying the persistent effects of stress in rodent models and how these negative effects may be reversed by psychedelics. We chat about ultrasonic vocalizations in rodents, the importance of translational models, and what mouse god smells like. For more about her research, register for ISRP and tune into her talk at 11:55am EDT / 8:55am PDT.