About this episode
This episode explores the effects of psychedelics on mice and what it reveals about consciousness and mental health.
How do you know if a mouse is on a psychedelic? It might just shake its head. This behavior, known as the head-twitch response, signals whether a molecule is a psychedelic-like hallucinogen. Head twitch is one tool used by pharmaceutical companies racing to develop new mental health drugs. But does a mouse experience an altered state like a human? Do animals have mystical experiences? And what can we really learn about the brain, or even human consciousness, from these unwitting rodent psychonauts? For a transcript of this episode, please visit this link.
Topics covered
- psychedelics
- mental health
- animal behavior
- hallucinogens
- consciousness
Keywords
- psychedelics
- mice
- head-twitch response
- mental health drugs
- animal consciousness
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PRX
Products: magic mushrooms
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