Dispatch from the Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference Part 1: Plasticity, psychotherapy, and perception

The Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference gathered about 200 researchers for a week of presentations and posters focused on how psychedelics can be understood at the neurobiological level and translated toward therapies. This Part 1 dispatch covers the keynote session and the first day. Nora Volkow (NIDA) frames a shift toward developing new therapeutics from psychedelics, while Rachel Yehuda (PTSD and traumatic stress research) emphasizes psychotherapy as a major driver of clinical outcomes in psychedelic assisted therapy for PTSD. Yehuda highlights the interplay between psychotherapy and medication effects during PAT, including a proposed “Goldilocks problem” where psychotherapy may contribute to hyper arousal and pharmacotherapy may contribute to hypo arousal in people with PTSD. The dispatch also notes the conference’s publication policy and that listed speaker consent limits how complete the recount is.