eNeuro
October 1, 2025
Tanner L. Anderson, Artin Asadipooya, Pavel I. Ortinski
3 citations
Psychedelic drugs like DOI can reverse the direction of synaptic plasticity in the claustrum, a brain region rich in serotonin 2 receptors and heavily connected to the anterior cingulate cortex. In male rats, pairing presynaptic stimuli with postsynaptic action potentials in claustrum neurons projecting to the ACC caused DOI to flip the plasticity from long-term depression to long-term potentiation, an effect specific to locally activated synapses. DOI also altered several action potential dynamics in these neurons. The findings support the idea that psychedelics induce rapid and lasting neuroplasticity and that claustrocortical circuits are especially sensitive to these drugs, offering a potential mechanism for their therapeutic effects.
Journal of Science Policy & Governance
July 2, 2026
Alaina M. Jaster, Joseph J. Hennessey, Tanner L. Anderson et al.
Research on Schedule I substances in the United States is heavily restricted by the Controlled Substances Act, creating what is termed Research Harm—the restriction or deterrence of legitimate scientific inquiry due to governmental regulatory controls and criminal prohibitions. Barriers include lengthy DEA registration timelines, inconsistent guidance, and policy confusion, limiting access to substances with therapeutic potential like psilocybin, MDMA, cannabis, and DOI. The 2025 HALT Fentanyl Act introduces procedural improvements such as expedited registration and shared institutional access but leaves key regulatory issues unresolved. Recommended reforms include revising medical utility interpretations, conducting periodic evidence reviews, and establishing a scheduling framework for easier research access.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
March 8, 2026
Nitzan Geva, Sarah J. Jefferson, Emi Krishnamurthy et al.
MDMA increases spine density and the formation of new spines in the medial prefrontal cortex of mice, as shown by two-photon microscopy. Calcium imaging in the infralimbic cortex during fear extinction revealed that neural activity in this region became more correlated with the suppression of freezing behavior, indicating a strengthened role in extinction. Longitudinal cell registration showed accelerated representational drift across days in MDMA-treated mice, especially in neurons that suppressed activity to conditioned cues. These findings indicate that MDMA facilitates structural and functional neuroplasticity, which may underlie its enhancement of extinction learning.