Andrew Ferns

Anybody else have kids in school in TX and are vehemently opposed to SB 24 and the 2021 changes to TEKS?

Anyone making blotter art? Would love to add to my collection!

Booker is a badass

The structural diversity of psychedelic drug actions revealed - Nature Communications The authors present 7 cryo-EM structures of hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic compounds across multiple chemotypes bound to the 5-HT2A receptor, shedding light onto ligand specificity and sig...

Very detailed and important work for psychedelic researchers
#PhDSky #AcademicSky #PsychedelicResearch #Neuroscience

Harnessing psychedelics for stroke recovery: therapeutic potential and mechanisms Yang et al. propose that psychedelics hold untapped potential for improving stroke recovery through their unique ability to modulate neuroplasticity, reduc

Psychedelic research everywhere, I love it.
#neuroskyence #psychedelicresearch #neuroscience #science #phdsky

Tristan Jarry is back and on fire 🏒🔥

Astra Lumina, Dallas TX

Peacock Streaming, please remove "are you still watching?". It makes it hard to binge The Office for the hundredth time while sick with the flu.

Frontiers | Psilocybin for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stands as a formidable neurodegenerative ailment and a prominent contributor to dementia. The scarcity of available therapies for AD...

Another review supporting psychedelics and NDD
#PhDSky #NeuroSkyence #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky #AlzSky

Rise, like lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number!
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you:
Ye are many—they are few!

La propriété, c'est le vol!

Just watched The Gorge.... highly recommend.

If the 4 Nations Canada team were a real NHL franchise, no other team would ever win the Cup.

Just went live to talk about what is happening, what we can do, and what to expect this week: www.instagram.com/reel/DForuR_...

Mike O'Malley is a seriously underrated actor

As an INTJ parent, I feel seen by the movie "The Wild Robot".

#INTJ

Image of dap handshake

On this MLK Day, a reminder of the history behind the dap.

Born from Black soldiers in Vietnam resisting racism and injustice, the dap—short for "dignity and pride"—was their silent language of unity and defiance. Today, it’s a lasting symbol of solidarity and resilience. #MLKDay

Now that we have a felon as president, can we agree that non-violent felons shouldn’t face background checks for housing and jobs? Let’s rethink punitive policies that hurt reintegration and second chances. #JusticeReform #FelonRights #Equality 🧪

Birthday present to myself, splurged on cheeses.

Akt activation ameliorates deficits in hippocampal-dependent memory and activity-dependent synaptic protein synthesis in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model Protein kinase-B (Akt) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Akt/mTOR signaling pathways, activated by external inputs, enable new protein synthesis at the synapse and synaptic plasticity. The molecular mechanisms impeding new protein synthesis at the synapse in AD pathogenesis remain elusive. Here, we aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms prior to the manifestation of histopathological hallmarks by characterizing Akt1/mTOR signaling cascades and new protein synthesis in the hippocampus of WT and amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 (APP/PS1) male mice.

Akt signaling is dysfunctional in Alzheimer’s and psychedelics have been shown to modulate this pathway. This paper shows how Akt activation improves memory/synaptic plasticity in AD models. 🧪 #PhDSky #NeuroSkyence #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky #AlzSky

Also more evidence for insulin dysregulation as major contributor to AD pathology

Escitalopram attenuates β-amyloid-induced tau hyperphosphorylation in primary hippocampal neurons through the 5-HT 1A receptor mediated Akt/GSK-3β pathway | Oncotarget https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.7798 Yan-Juan Wang, Qing-Guo Ren, Wei-Gang Gong, Di Wu, Xiang Tang, Xiao-Li Li, Fang-Fang Wu, Feng Bai, Lin Xu, Zhi-Jun Zhang

🧪🧠 A 2016 paper shows 5-HT1A activation reduces p-tau in vitro. Since psychedelics also activate 5-HT1A, they could potentially reduce Alzheimer's disease pathologies. A promising avenue for NDD research. #PhDSky #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky #AlzSky

Proteomic Analysis of a Rat Streptozotocin Model Shows Dysregulated Biological Pathways Implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive impairment, affecting 35 million individuals worldwide. Intracerebroventric...

Recent study into the use of the icv-STZ model to mimic sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD), which accounts for most AD cases. Unlike familial AD models, icv-STZ reflects real-world complexity, urging more focus on sAD-specific research. 🧪 #NeuroSkyence #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky #PhDSky

Texas HB 1802 was a step forward for psychedelic research, but limiting the focus to mental health overlooks their potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases and more. Let's support psychedelic research in all areas of science! 🧪 #PhDSky #NeuroSkyence #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky

Serotonin 5-HT2a and 5-HT2c Receptors Stimulate Amyloid Precursor Protein Ectodomain Secretion (∗) Alzheimer's disease amyloid consists of amyloid β-peptides (Aβ) derived from the larger precursor amyloid precursor protein (APP). Non-amyloidogenic APP processing involves regulated cleavage within the Aβ domain followed by secretion of the ectodomain (APPs). APPs secretion can be stimulated by muscarinic acetylcholine receptors coupled to phospholipases and kinases. To determine whether other receptor classes can regulate APP processing, we examined the relation between serotonin receptors and APPs secretion.

Activation of the 5-HT₂A receptor by serotonin increases the secretion of soluble amyloid precursor protein, potentially reducing amyloid-beta formation associated with Alzheimer's disease. Guess what else activates the 5-HT₂A receptor? #PhDSky #Neuroscience #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky🧪

Happy New Year everyone 🎊 Excited to be completing my first #book “How #Psychedelics Work” early in the new year. 12/13 chapters written. As I say in the intro, it could just as easily have been titled differently, like these:

Follow my research on psychedelics and neurodegenerative diseases as I explore how serotonergic modulation may address pathological mechanisms in Alzheimer’s and beyond. Let’s connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/5htresear... 🧪 #PhDSky #Neuroscience #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky

Psychedelic research in 2025 will continue to challenge conventions, exploring mechanisms that could redefine treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and beyond. Progress isn’t always loud, but it’s relentless. 🧪 #PhDSky #Neuroscience #PsychedelicResearch #AcademicSky

Metformin prevents p-tau and amyloid plaque deposition and memory impairment in diabetic mice - Experimental Brain Research Insulin deficiency or resistance can promote dementia and hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The formation of neurofibrillary tangles of p-TAU protein, extracellular Aβ plaques, and neuronal loss ...

This study supports the brain IR theory of AD: metformin reduces tau hyperphosphorylation, amyloid plaques, and memory deficits. I’m hoping my research will explore addressing downstream consequences of brain insulin resistance via serotonergic system modulation. 🧪 #Neuroscience #PsychedelicResearch