The Differentiation Between Conscious Processing and Other Operations of the Brain

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are blessed to speak with Manoj Doss. Manoj is a cognitive neuropsychopharmacologist at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University. His research is at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology with focuses on episodic memory and hallucinogenic drugs. Manoj utilizes complex cognitive paradigms, brain imaging, and computational modelling to explore what makes psychedelics unique compared to other classes of psychoactive drugs, both in terms of basic drug effects and mechanisms for treating clinical populations. Although Manoj is optimistic that psychedelics will soon have a place in psychiatry, he remains cautious of exaggerated claims and negligence to potential downsides, something he terms 'psychedelic myopia’.   

TOPICS COVERED:   

• Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychopharmacology   
• Psychedelic Neuroscience   
• Types of Memory - Episodic, Semantic, Procedural   
• Parts of the Brain - Hippocampus, Neocortex   
• Recollection vs Familiarity   
• Psychedelics Impacting Memory through Familiarity   
• Is Memory Stored in Parts of the Body Other than the Brain?   
• How Do We Make False Memories?   
• Debunking the “Default Mode Network” Narrative   
• Psychedelic Science and Incorporating Existing Scientific Disciplines   
• Showing Psychedelics are Actually Useful in Treating Any Disorders   
• Commentary on Structuring Psychedelic Research   
• Future of Psychedelic Therapy as Adjunct to Existing Therapies?   
• Tempering Conclusions and Expectations from Psychedelic Research   

EPISODE RESOURCES:   

• Manoj Doss Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManojDoss   
• Manoj Doss Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manoj-Doss   
• Manoj Doss @ Johns Hopkins: https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/doss   
• John O'Keefe Nobel Prize work on Hippocampal place cells: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04913-9   
• Doss et al paper on reward dynamics: http://dml.ucdavis.edu/uploads/6/1/9/7/61974117/gruber_ritchey_wang_doss_ranganath_2016.pdf   
• Default Mode Network Hypothesis: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020/full   
• PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story by Alexander Shulgin: https://www.amazon.com/Pihkal-Chemical-Story-Alexander-Shulgin/dp/0963009605   
• Janice Chen paper on shared experience: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mOwF8UEAAAAJ&citation_for_view=mOwF8UEAAAAJ:M05iB0D1s5AC   
• Marc Berman paper on benefits of interacting with nature: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x