The Mushroom Hour Podcast Ep. 151: Neuroscience, Memory and Psychedelics (feat. Manoj Doss PhD)
02:08:31
Path to Neuroscience
- Manoj Doss initially pursued engineering but switched to psychology after a concussion.
- Early exposure to cognitive neuroscience and drug research shaped his interest in memory.
Neuroscience's Quantitative Angle
- Neuroscience grounds the study of the mind by providing biological data and correlating them to qualitative observations.
- It seeks to provide a quantitative angle to the analysis of mental activity and behavior.
fMRI and Behavioral Data
- fMRI measures blood flow as a proxy for neural activity, not brain activity itself.
- Manoj Doss emphasizes the importance of combining objective behaviors, qualitative behaviors, and brain activity data for a comprehensive understanding.
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Introduction
00:00 • 2min
The Origin Story of Manoj's Research in Cognitive Neuroscience
01:34 • 3min
The Nuts and Bolts of Cognitive Neuroscience
04:45 • 3min
The Neurology of the Human Brain
07:58 • 3min
How to Structure Research on the Brain
11:13 • 3min
The Different Types of Memory
14:28 • 4min
The Effects of Psychedelics on Familiarity
18:16 • 2min
The Importance of Multiple Activations in Semantics
20:42 • 2min
The Effects of Memory Consolidation on Memory
23:07 • 3min
The Episodic Memory of Memory
26:05 • 4min
How to Recreate Memories
30:07 • 5min
The Role of the Hippocampus in Memory Memory
34:50 • 4min
The Effects of Non-Rem Sleep on the Brain
38:47 • 2min
The Differentiation Between Conscious Processing and Other Operations of the Brain
41:00 • 4min
The Effects of Trauma on Memory
45:22 • 3min
The Importance of Receptors in Memory
48:45 • 2min
How to Create a False Memory
50:47 • 4min
The Role of Psychedelics in Memory
54:36 • 6min
The Over Emphasis on the Default Mode Network in Psychedelics
01:00:28 • 3min
The Hierarchy of Sensor Information in the Brain
01:03:38 • 2min
The Effects of Psychedelics on the Brain
01:06:01 • 5min
The Effects of Psychedelics on the Brain
01:10:47 • 5min
The Importance of Humility in Memory and Perception
01:16:00 • 1min
The Benefits of Psychedelics
01:17:27 • 6min
The Role of Psychedelics in Anxiety
01:23:14 • 5min
The Future of Psychedelic Therapy
01:28:02 • 4min
Psychedelics and the Subjective Experience
01:31:58 • 6min
The Effects of Psychedelics on Memory
01:37:45 • 2min
The Semi-Permeable Self
01:39:32 • 3min
Synthetically Produced Psilocybin
01:42:19 • 3min
The Effects of Psilocybin on Nigrosis
01:45:38 • 4min
The Importance of Balance in Psychedelic Research
01:49:10 • 3min
The Cost of a Collective Unconscious
01:51:54 • 4min
The Importance of Spirituality in Happiness
01:55:54 • 2min
How Does Your Relationship With Mushrooms Change You?
01:57:42 • 4min
The Effects of Foraging on the Brain
02:02:12 • 3min
The Future of Psychedelic Substances
02:04:50 • 3min
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