Psychedelics Volume 1: Issue 3

EDITORIAL

Psychedelics, Yes—but Not Only: Redefining the boundaries of consciousness research as part of humanity’s ongoing attempt to transcend our incompleteness 1

Julio Licinio

INNOVATORS & IDEAS: RISING STAR

Michael A. Wheeler: Psychedelics and neuroimmune circuits—what a strange trip, indeed 3

Michael A. Wheeler

Katarina Leão: Links between the auditory and limbic systems, with a focus on the effects of unconventional novel treatment options, such as psychedelics and cannabis extract 7

Katarina Leão

INNOVATORS & IDEAS: RESEARCH LEADERS

Stephen Ross: Psychedelic-assisted therapies for difficult-to-treat psychiatric and medical disorders 10

Stephen Ross

VIEWPOINT

Psychedelics in the

In a thought-provoking Genomic Press interview, Dr. Michael Wheeler emerges as a brilliant scientific innovator at the intersection of neuroscience and immunology. As an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and an investigator at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Wheeler's groundbreaking research explores how brain-immune communication shapes our behaviors and emotions. His innovative laboratory weaves together genomic screening, single-cell technologies, and behavioral studies to unravel the fascinating dialogue between peripheral immune cells and brain function. Most remarkably, Wheeler's NIH-funded research has shown that psychedelics like psilocybin can reverse stress-induced fear behaviors by targeting a previously hidden neuroimmune pathway connecting inflammatory cells in the meninges to critical brain regions controlling emotions and rewards. This groundbreaking work has just been further validated in a Nature article (23 April 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08880-9) showing how psychedelics regulate the complex interplay between brain and immune cells in fear responses. By revealing how psychedelics modulate not just neurons but also immune responses, Wheeler's paradigm-shifting research opens exciting new therapeutic possibilities for depression, addiction, and stress-related disorders. Through his warm, authentic scientific approach and deep curiosity about mind-body connections, Wheeler represents a new generation of researchers redrawing the boundaries between psychiatry and immunology to transform our understanding of mental health.

Katarina E. Leão, PhD, is an associate professor at the Brain Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil. She is vice-coordinator of the postgraduate program in neuroscience (2013–2017 and 2023 – current) and spent 2020 as a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institute/Uppsala University, Sweden. She is head of the Hearing and Neuronal activity lab researching neuronal mechanisms of noise-induced tinnitus and tinnitus-related anxiety. Dr. Leão recently joined the ongoing interview series by Genomic Press, discussing her professional endeavors and personal experiences.

Professor Stephen Ross is a prominent faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine who has transformed the landscape of psychedelic research since 2006. In this Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Ross reveals how as co-director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and director of its research training program, he has spearheaded groundbreaking clinical trials demonstrating the remarkable efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treating existential distress in advanced cancer patients, alcohol use disorder, and major depressive disorder. His 2016 landmark study showing rapid, substantial, and enduring improvements in cancer-related anxiety and depression following single-dose psilocybin treatment garnered global attention with 1.7 billion media views. It rejuvenated a dormant field of psychiatric research. Despite early career warnings that psychedelic research was “a road to nowhere,” Dr. Ross persevered to secure the first National Cancer Institute grant for psychedelic research in over 50 years, establishing NYU as a pioneering institution in psychedelic medicine. Throughout his 25-year career at NYU, he has balanced research innovation with clinical leadership, directing Bellevue Hospital's substance abuse division for 12 years, receiving numerous teaching awards, and maintaining a compassion-driven approach inspired by early experiences with hospice care. His current research extends beyond psychiatry into pain management, early-stage cancer interventions, and the potential anti-inflammatory properties of psychedelics, reflecting his commitment to developing novel therapeutics for conditions with substantial unmet needs and public health burden.

Brain-gut-microbiota interactions in sleep disorders

Zhe Wang,

Tingting Wu,

Juan Li,

Tangsheng Lu,

Yifan Yu,

Zichun Guan,

Guohao Yuan,

Zhaoyan Lv,

Yiming Shan,

Wei Yan,

Xiaoxing Liu,

Michael V. Vitiello,

Qingqing Yin,

Jie Sun, and

Lin Lu

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Table of Contents

Psychedelics, Yes—but Not Only: Redefining the boundaries of consciousness research as part of humanity's ongoing attempt to transcend our incompleteness

Introduction

Michael A. Wheeler: Psychedelics and neuroimmune circuits—what a strange trip, indeed

Katarina Leão: Links between the auditory and limbic systems, with a focus on the effects of unconventional novel treatment options, such as psychedelics and cannabis extract

Stephen Ross: Psychedelic-assisted therapies for difficult-to-treat psychiatric and medical disorders

Psychedelics in the context of stress and psychiatric disorders: A new horizon in mental health treatment

MDMA in Psychiatry: From PTSD to emerging indications, safety, and future directions

Single-dose psychedelic enhances cognitive flexibility and reversal learning in mice weeks after administration

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

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Brain-gut-microbiota interactions in sleep disorders

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Counting the uncountable: The critical quest to quantify psychedelic medicine's reach

Bernard Lerer: Pre-clinical, translational and clinical research focused on the use of psychedelic drugs and their derivatives to treat psychiatric disorders

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Katarina Leão: Links between the auditory and limbic systems, with a focus on the effects of unconventional novel treatment options, such as psychedelics and cannabis extract