Unlocking the Brain's Learning Potential with Psychedelics

Psychedelic drugs have the unique ability to reopen "critical periods" in the brain, times when the brain is highly susceptible to environmental learning signals, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine. The length of these reopened critical periods varies depending on the psychedelic drug used, ranging from 48 hours with ketamine to four weeks with ibogaine. The study also identified molecular mechanisms influenced by psychedelics, including 65 protein-producing genes that show expression differences during and after the critical period. This breakthrough in understanding psychedelic drug function may have therapeutic implications for conditions like stroke and deafness.