Psychedelics are the master keys to unlocking hidden potentials in our brains, claims Gül Dölen, a Turkish-American neuroscientist and professor at UC Berkeley. Please watch and share Drugreporter’s interview, filmed at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR) 2024 in Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Most of my readers have probably seen colourful brain scan images that aim to represent changes in brain activity corresponding to the altered perception and cognition associated with psychedelic use. But can we really say that these regional changes in the brain fully explain the often highly sophisticated, and sometimes indescribable, visions people experience under the influence of psychedelics? Gül Dölen casts doubt on this theory. Her groundbreaking MDMA studies with octopuses demonstrate that we need to find another explanatory mechanism.
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Why octopuses? Because most laboratory experiments use social animals—mammals like rodents or monkeys. According to a long-held belief, only complex, advanced mammalian brains are capable of producing social behaviour and generating empathy. But the brains of octopuses are far more ancient and structurally different from human brains. Our ancestors diverged from theirs approximately 500 million years ago. So, if you can demonstrate that these otherwise solitary creatures respond to MDMA—a drug known for its empathogenic properties—it could revolutionise our understanding of empathy itself.
And that’s exactly what Gül Dölen and her colleagues did. Octopuses, usually cold and standoffish, were suddenly embracing and socialising under the influence of MDMA! But how can we explain that these asocial animals, with their almost alien-like brains, respond to MDMA in a way strikingly similar to social mammals like us? According to Dölen, the explanation lies in what researchers call the critical period. This refers to a specific window in early life when the brain is more open to learning and forming social bonds. During this time, neuroplasticity is significantly heightened. But as we age, our brains become less malleable—the critical period closes. What psychedelics appear to do is reopen this window, enabling us to literally rewire our brains.
Interview and article: Péter Sárosi
Video: István Gábor Takács
