In conversation with the neuroscientists who is tracking brain activity in microdosers.
On this podcast the Microdosing Institute team interviews guests who make important contributions to the field of microdosing, and today in particular the science of microdosing. We’re sitting here with Conor Murray, who’s a neuroscientist at UCLA, and among the first researchers who found placebo controlled evidence that microdosing acts powerfully on the brain.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Conor Murray is a neuroscientist specializing in psychedelics and altered states of consciousness at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His doctoral thesis centered on neuroplasticity mechanisms underlying cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. At UCLA, he is continuing this work now with psilocybin-assisted therapy for individuals with cocaine use disorder. Conor’s published work also includes the neuroscience of very low, or microdoses of psychedelic compounds, specifically LSD.
His placebo-controlled studies, conducted with Harriet de Wit at the University of Chicago, have shown that despite microdoses being indistinguishable from placebo on most subjective measures, the microdose acts powerfully on the brain, replicating findings from higher doses of psychedelics, while improving brain responses that are blunted by depression and other psychiatric disorders.
Conor’s neuroscience of psychedelics extends from the microscopic to the macroscopic level, with a citizen neuroscience project poised to tackle questions related to microdosing on brain health around the world.
IN THIS CONVERSATION
Conor Murray studied the effects of LSD versus placebo on resting-state EEG and event-related potential (ERP) responses in healthy adults.
The results constitute the first evidence that low doses of LSD increase reward-related brain activity in humans. These findings may have important implications for the treatment of depressive disorders.
In addition to discussing these findings, we talk about:
- How Conor got into microdosing research
- Finding out how much is a microdose
- Two microdosing LSD studies that shed light on the accute effects in people
- Internal monologue and the default mode network
- Citizen neuroscience: measure your own brain activity while microdosing
- Measuring brainwaves: cognition, emotion, anxiety, awareness
- Using technology AND our increased awareness to better the world
- Cool new frontiers in psychedelic science
- Psychedelics for brain repair
🔎 HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH?
Visit httpw://Psynautics.com
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Alan watts - Psychedelics and Religious Experience (1968)
https://lawcat.berkeley.edu/record/1110164
Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose-response study.
De Wit H, et al (2022). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35106880/
Low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) increase reward-related brain activity
Glazer J, et al. (2023). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36284231/
✨ ABOUT MICRODOSING INSTITUTE:
Microdosing Institute offers education on how to microdose with psychedelics safely, consciously and effectively. We create community and foster healthy conversations in the microdosing space so that we can continue to learn more and expand the body of knowledge on best practices and harm reduction. Additionally, we encourage and promote research by partnering with universities and other organizations across the globe so that the full potential of microdosing may be realized and made accessible to those who can benefit from the practice.
💡 LEARN MORE ABOUT MICRODOSING:
6-Week Guided Microdosing Intensive
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