Drugs, Addiction & Neuroplasticity: Psychedelics, MDMA, Opioids, Cocaine, Amphetamine (Adderall), Nicotine, Marijuana & Alcohol | Robert Malenka | 162

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About the guest: Robert Malenka, MD, PhD is psychiatrist & neuroscientist. He has spent most of his career at Stanford University, where his lab studies synaptic plasticity, mechanisms of drug action in the brain, and the neural basis of behavior.

Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Malenka discuss: mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the brain, such as LTP & LTD; addiction & the dopamine reward circuitry of the brain; psychoactive drugs ranging from stimulants (cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines) to opioids (fentanyl), psychedelics, MDMA, THC, and alcohol; and more.

Related episodes: 

• How Does Ketamine Work & Is It Addictive? | Christian Lüscher | #90
• Neuroscience of Social Behavior, Pain, Empathy, Emotion, Brain Mechanisms of MDMA | Monique Smith | #159

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