Rachel Carlson

This is Dr. Boris Heifetz. He's an anesthesiologist and neuroscientist at Stanford University. And he told me that researchers have been wondering for a while if the trip that comes with a lot of psychedelics, this journey or experience, is really important, or if it's just this unnecessary byproduct when it comes to making people feel better.

This is Dr. Boris Heifetz. He's an anesthesiologist and neuroscientist at Stanford University. And he told me that researchers have been wondering for a while if the trip that comes with a lot of psychedelics, this journey or experience, is really important, or if it's just this unnecessary byproduct when it comes to making people feel better.

So that's exactly what Boris did.

So that's exactly what Boris did.

So that's exactly what Boris did.

They're asking, is it the drugs themselves making people feel better or everything else that comes with them? We'll even hear from a patient about her experience.

They're asking, is it the drugs themselves making people feel better or everything else that comes with them? We'll even hear from a patient about her experience.

They're asking, is it the drugs themselves making people feel better or everything else that comes with them? We'll even hear from a patient about her experience.

Right. Or, Gina, it could be a combination of all of these things or others, and it's pretty hard to parse out. But Boris tried to disentangle all of these factors in a 2023 study he did on ketamine and depression. That was out in the journal Nature. So to do this, they used anesthesia.

Right. Or, Gina, it could be a combination of all of these things or others, and it's pretty hard to parse out. But Boris tried to disentangle all of these factors in a 2023 study he did on ketamine and depression. That was out in the journal Nature. So to do this, they used anesthesia.

Right. Or, Gina, it could be a combination of all of these things or others, and it's pretty hard to parse out. But Boris tried to disentangle all of these factors in a 2023 study he did on ketamine and depression. That was out in the journal Nature. So to do this, they used anesthesia.

And in Boris's trial, they looked at 40 patients who were already scheduled to have some kind of basic surgery and go under anesthesia. All the patients also had a history with major depression. Okay. And Boris told them that while they were under anesthesia, they would either be getting an infusion of ketamine or saline.

And in Boris's trial, they looked at 40 patients who were already scheduled to have some kind of basic surgery and go under anesthesia. All the patients also had a history with major depression. Okay. And Boris told them that while they were under anesthesia, they would either be getting an infusion of ketamine or saline.

And in Boris's trial, they looked at 40 patients who were already scheduled to have some kind of basic surgery and go under anesthesia. All the patients also had a history with major depression. Okay. And Boris told them that while they were under anesthesia, they would either be getting an infusion of ketamine or saline.

Based on research in animal models, scientists think that ketamine works by binding to this specific receptor in the brain. It's called the NMDA receptor. But what also happens there is that it can give people this kind of dissociative feeling, like they're separated from their own bodies.

Based on research in animal models, scientists think that ketamine works by binding to this specific receptor in the brain. It's called the NMDA receptor. But what also happens there is that it can give people this kind of dissociative feeling, like they're separated from their own bodies.

Based on research in animal models, scientists think that ketamine works by binding to this specific receptor in the brain. It's called the NMDA receptor. But what also happens there is that it can give people this kind of dissociative feeling, like they're separated from their own bodies.

Yeah, it is not a psychedelic, but it does kind of get thrown into this psychedelic related bucket because it can have sort of similar-ish effects sometimes. depending on how much a person takes. And so the idea with Boris's study was that by putting patients under anesthesia, it might help solve this big problem that most studies of psychedelics and ketamine have.

Yeah, it is not a psychedelic, but it does kind of get thrown into this psychedelic related bucket because it can have sort of similar-ish effects sometimes. depending on how much a person takes. And so the idea with Boris's study was that by putting patients under anesthesia, it might help solve this big problem that most studies of psychedelics and ketamine have.

Yeah, it is not a psychedelic, but it does kind of get thrown into this psychedelic related bucket because it can have sort of similar-ish effects sometimes. depending on how much a person takes. And so the idea with Boris's study was that by putting patients under anesthesia, it might help solve this big problem that most studies of psychedelics and ketamine have.