Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Opioid Addiction: RNA Biology, Brain Inflammation & Psychedelic Therapy | Episode 280
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Gene regulation through RNAs, the neurobiology of opioid addiction, and how psychedelics affect drug-seeking by modulating inflammation and plasticity. Not medical advice.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Gene regulation basics: DNA transcribes to RNAs, including non-coding types like microRNAs that inhibit mRNA translation into proteins, influencing up to 60% of the proteome.
- Non-coding RNAs in neuroplasticity: MicroRNAs and circular RNAs regulate synaptic changes, with activity-induced ones like miR-485-5p linked to rapid responses in drug cue memory and addiction reinforcement.
- Opioid addiction models: Rats self-administer heroin or fentanyl via levers, showing compulsive seeking; fentanyl’s higher potency drives faster learning but similar long-term effects to heroin when doses are equated.
- Differences between opioids: Heroin and fentanyl both activate mu-opioid receptors for euphoria and dopamine release, but fentanyl lingers longer; no major behavioral differences in seeking once potency is matched.
- Psilocybin’s effects on addiction: A single psilocybin dose post-abstinence reduces heroin-seeking in rats by dampening neuroinflammation in brain regions like the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex.
- Brain Inflammation: Opioids induce pro-inflammatory changes via cytokines like IL-17A and pathways like TNF-alpha, leading to glial activation and blood-brain barrier leaks; psilocybin counters this.
- MicroRNA biomarkers: Blood microRNAs reflect gene expression patterns tied to disease states, with potential to predict opioid relapse risk, treatment response, or neonatal withdrawal severity non-invasively.
- Future research: Ongoing work links psilocybin’s serotonin 2A activation to anti-inflammatory gene changes, plus human studies on microRNAs for personalized addiction treatments.
ABOUT THE GUEST: Stephanie Daws, PhD is an associate professor at Temple University in the Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Neurosciences, where she researches mechanisms of drug-seeking behavior with a focus on opioids and psychedelics.
RELATED EPISODE:
- M&M 2 | Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, Inflammation & Novel Psychedelic Medicines | Charles Nichols
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