Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics Content / Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics Content for ºÙºÙÊÓƵ en ºÙºÙÊÓƵ Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine /news/uc-davis-researchers-achieve-total-synthesis-ibogaine <p><span>Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine is a finite resource, extracted from plants native to Africa like the iboga shrub (</span><em><span>Tabernanthe iboga</span></em><span>) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (</span><em><span>Voacanga africana</span></em><span>). Further, its use can lead to irregular heartbeats, introducing safety risks and an overall need to better understand how its molecular structure leads to its biological effects.&nbsp;</span></p> February 06, 2025 - 10:45am Andy Fell /news/uc-davis-researchers-achieve-total-synthesis-ibogaine Anti-Anxiety and Hallucination-Like Effects of Psychedelics Mediated by Distinct Neural Circuits /news/anti-anxiety-and-hallucination-effects-psychedelics-mediated-distinct-neural-circuits <p><span>New research suggests that it could be possible to separate treatment from hallucinations when developing new drugs based on psychedelics. The anti-anxiety andhallucination-inducing qualities of psychedelic drugs work through different neural circuits, according to research using a mouse model. </span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adl0666"><span>The work is published Nov. 15 in Science</span></a><span>.&nbsp;</span></p> November 14, 2024 - 10:06am Andy Fell /news/anti-anxiety-and-hallucination-effects-psychedelics-mediated-distinct-neural-circuits Exploring the Psychedelics Within Us /blog/exploring-psychedelics-within-us <p><span>Our bodies are pharmaceutical factories. From the hormones that regulate our blood sugar to the neurotransmitters that act as the body’s natural painkillers, these endogenous — produced within the body — chemicals ensure our functionality and survival.</span></p><p><span>But did you know that our bodies also naturally produce psychedelics?</span></p><p><span>In the 1950s, researchers found chemical signatures of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in mammalian bodies, including in humans.</span></p> October 21, 2024 - 3:00pm Andy Fell /blog/exploring-psychedelics-within-us New Method Tracks How Psychedelics Affect Neurons in Minutes /news/new-method-tracks-how-psychedelics-affect-neurons-minutes <p><span>Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a rapid, noninvasive tool to track the neurons and biomolecules activated in the brain by psychedelic drugs. The protein-based tool, which is called Ca<sup>2+-</sup>activated Split-TurboID, or CaST, is described in research published in </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-024-02375-7"><span>Nature Methods</span></a><span>.&nbsp;</span></p> August 05, 2024 - 10:22am Andy Fell /news/new-method-tracks-how-psychedelics-affect-neurons-minutes