Latest in Science: "Critical Periods"

Study Shows Psychedelic Drugs Reopen ‘Critical Periods’ for Social Learning 06/14/2023

Scientists say the findings in mice offer a new explanation for how psychedelic drugs work.

Neuroscientists have long searched for ways to reopen “critical periods” in the brain, when mammals are more sensitive

to signals from their surroundings that can influence periods of brain development. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say a new study in mice shows that psychedelic drugs are linked by their common ability to reopen such critical periods, but differ in the length of time the critical period is open — from two days to four weeks with a single dose.