The Serotonin 2A Receptor Pt. 2: Effects on thinking and behaviour | The Psychedelic Brain Receptor

This is the second video in my two part series on the serotonin 2A (aka 5-HT2A) receptor - the brain receptor most important for psychedelic drug effects!

Following up on my last video where I described this receptor's effects on the brain, here I dive into the latest theoretical perspectives on what this fascinating brain receptor does in terms of our thinking and behaviour - both with psychedelics and when activated outside the context of drugs.

*** After reflecting on the video - I wanted to add that additional events that could induce serotonin 2A activation could be major life events: a death of a loved one, the end of a break up, getting fired from a job, being extremely overwhelmed by stress related to work or family, etc. An interesting link here is between 2A activation and what some have called 'spiritual emergencies' or 'the dark night of the soul'.

Enjoy!

---

Don't forget to follow me on social media for all the latest updates. Especially Instagram where I post the most!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

More info about me:

Manesh Girn is a Neuroscience PhD student at McGill University and has been lead or co-author on over a dozen scientific publications and book chapters on topics including psychedelics, meditation, daydreaming, and brain networks.

Manesh currently has ongoing collaborations with Robin Carhart-Harris and others at the Imperial College Center for Psychedelic Research and is investigating the brain changes underlying psilocybin, LSD, and DMT.

[MushroomNurse]

This might be one of the best break downs of serotonin and how it works in the body I've ever heard!

[jessicakhurana]

You had me at "Serotonin is not the happiness molecule". I'm the killjoy that always follows that statement up with "Huh.. I guess that means it's the PUKING molecule too". It doesn't make me popular.

[rohandreyer]

Extremely amazing channel!
Very good job! 🎉

[Avatar_Sokka]

Absolutely love your channel, i have read some interesting things about the effects of music and nostalgia on a psychedelic experience, perhaps that could be a topic of another video.

[yochillz]

these two videos have taught me more abut phycadelics than ive ever learn thank you so much we have to get your videos seen.

[cjfudjg]

incredibly clear ✨ thank u sooo very much🫶

[ryanmcalder]

Brilliant. Incredibly clear and informative. Would love to see you make vids on other major neurotransmitters and receptor families!

[aquaboogie]

Thank you for the time spent researching and filming! 🙏 This series is helpful!

[siobhanclarke]

Hi Manesh - awesome video with solid science of therapeutics. Quick Question - (Perhaps I need to watch the video Part 1 again to understand the molecular distribution of the effect psychedelics has on on receptor more specifically S2a.) My question: If LSD creates a "overflow" of glutamate to come extent which results in disorganized regulation/modulation of neurons, would this result in too much upregulation of excitatory neurons and create a stress response such as anxiety?

[andrewwsuk]

My favourite channel. Thanks for the knolwedge

[architakhadka]

Hi! Could you talk about the mechanism of atypical antipsychotics vs psychedelics on 5HT2a receptors? Thanks, I really love your channel!

[naureenhossain]

"Serotonin is NOT the happiness molecule" 😂😂 Thanks for explaining this.

[Convolutedtear]

this.is. amazing !!! thanks i love brains and i still learned a lot

[andygreen]

Hey, great video, plenty of in-depth knowledge. Do you know of any supplements that can boost the 1a and 2a receptors?
Thanks 🙏🏻

[hesaysyestolife]

Excellent presentation. Thank you. In regards to one of your latter points about the psychedelic experience possibly bringing up fearful memories, it seems (in the case of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy) that the traing of the therapist is paramount to the success of the therapy. That being said, are there any books or training programs that you recommend to therapists that hope to deliver this type of service to their clients?

[ashh]

great video, thanks a lot!! One question: Near death experiences can shape peoples lives and their perspectives, sometimes shifting them into a more positive and thankful direction. Could this be due to the 5-HT2A receptor?

[harisbiggy]

Hey Manesh, came across you on the Big Truth Podcast. Watched your fMRI in 10 mins video and absolutely loved it. I hope you become a prominent personality in this subject as you've already got dibs on the best name! If I could offer some technical advice, the audio in these two serotonin 2A receptor videos seems to be hitting the upper limit at times and causing a noticeable "buzz". I believe you can avoid this by turning the audio volume down when editing. I'm sure these little things will get ironed out as you grow and the quality of your videos improves. Best of luck and keep it up!

[schimmel]

Hey, you have a great channel, I love your work and the way how you explain topics! Could you share your thoughts about DMT as a neurotransmitter? Cheers!

[onsightitify]

You're making my brain hurt! ;;;)

[hs-tqgu]

Totally fascinating! Apart from the importance of set and setting, are there other
implications for psychedelic therapy?