Event Details:
Join the speaker for coffee, cookies, and conversation before the talk, starting at 11:45am.
Making synapses with psychedelics
Abstract
Numerous drugs have the ability to alter our perception, cognition, and mood. Some of these compounds, such as ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics, have also shown promise as treatment for mental illnesses. The behavioral effects are often long-lasting, presumably because the drugs act on synapses and dendrites to induce plasticity in the brain. In this talk, I will describe a series of studies from my lab aimed at understanding the mechanism of action of psilocybin, using subcellular-resolution two-photon imaging, in vivo electrophysiology, rabies viral tracing, and other molecular and behavioral approaches in mice. The results provide insights into the drug action of psychedelics on neural circuits.
This seminar is co-presented by Psychiatry Grand Rounds | Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Alex Kwan, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University | he/him
Alex Kwan is a Professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. He is broadly interested in the neurobiology of drugs for treating depression. His work has revealed how ketamine and psychedelics act in the brain to enhance neural plasticity. Alex supports open science by depositing and sharing data and code for all of the lab’s recent studies. He has a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Simon Fraser University and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University. Outside of the lab, Alex enjoys drinking a good cup of espresso and rock climbing with his kids.
Hosted by Austen Casey (Heifets Lab)
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About the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Seminar Series
The Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute seminar series brings together the Stanford neuroscience community to discuss cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary brain research, from biochemistry to behavior and beyond.
Topics include new discoveries in fundamental neurobiology; advances in human and translational neuroscience; insights from computational and theoretical neuroscience; and the development of novel research technologies and neuro-engineering breakthroughs.
Unless otherwise noted, seminars are held Thursdays at 12:00 noon PT.