Psychedelics drugs have gotten more attention as a possible answer to solve mental health crisis in US. in the last few years. Psychedelics are known to help with therapy. But what if there was a way to use them without the confusion? This article talks about the important work that Assoc. Prof. David E. Olson and his team have been doing to create psychedelics that don’t cause hallucinations so that they can be used to help things like depression, anxiety, and addiction.
Psychedelics Solve Mental Health Issues: Meet David E. Olson, one of the first people to study psychedelics.
Assoc. Prof. David E. Olson is a leader in psychedelic study. He is the founder and director of the UC Davis Institute of Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics. His lab’s main goal is to learn how psychedelic drugs can be used to treat mental disorders and, more importantly, how to make versions that are safer and don’t cause hallucinations.
Psychedelics Solve Mental Health Issues: What Psychedelics Can Do for Mental Health
Psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine have been shown to help treat a range of mental illnesses, from addiction to sadness. But the subjective effects and symptoms that come with these drugs have kept many people from using them. Olson’s study aims to create the next generation of neurotherapeutics, which will unlock the therapeutic potential of psychedelics without the bad effects.
Putting the research into pieces
In a talk with Paul Rand, Olson talks about what makes psychedelics special and how they affect the brain. Serotonin receptors activate by classic psychedelics. Which leads to deep sensory experiences. Olson’s team is breaking down molecules like psilocybin and MDMA to make safer, more effective forms that don’t cause hallucinations.
Psychedelics Solve Mental Health Issues: A Look into the Brain’s Forest
Olson compares the brain to a forest to help us understand how these drugs work. Neurons are like trees, and the signaling process depends on the growth of dendritic spines, which are like leaves. Atrophy happens in the prefrontal brain when people depress, which stops neurons from talking to each other. Olson says that these damage neural pathways might able to fix by psychedelics.
The Search for Better and Safer Options: TBG
TBG (Tabernanthalog), which make by Olson’s lab base on the structure of Ibogaine, is a potential compound. Ibogaine has been shown to help people who are addicted to drugs, but it is dangerous because it can damage the heart. TBG is like ibogaine but doesn’t make you hallucinate. It still works as a medicine but doesn’t have the dangerous side effects. Olson thinks this could change the way we treat things like addiction and sadness.
Making Treatment Easy to Get
Olson stresses the need for mental health treatments that can use by more people. Even though psychedelic-assisted therapy is getting more attention, a lot of people still can’t get it because of the cost and other issues. Non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens, such as TBG, could use as a take-home therapy choice, making it easier for more people to get help.
A Glimmer of Hope for Mental Health
The study of David E. Olson gives us hope at a time when mental health is in crisis around the world. If scientists can figure out how to use psychedelics without making people hallucinate, they might be able to make safer and easier to get treatments for things like sadness and addiction. Olson’s work shows us how to be creative and open to new ideas in the field of mental health, which is always changing.
