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Main point relates to methods - a broader set of behavioral measurement provides a more complete account of psilocybin’s effects. Well done Dr. Praachi Tiwari! New faculty already producing great work at Johns Hopkins Division of Behavioral Biology in collab w/ @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social!

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Behaviors showed a variety of dose-response profiles in male/female rats. HTR (/WDS) was roughly bell-shaped (which I did not know!), immobility went up with dose, rearing & grooming reduced, sniffing/digging declined at higher doses, and circling varied by dose and sex:

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Preclinical psychedelic research often focuses on HTR. This is of course useful, but worth measuring additional spontaneous behaviors in rodents:

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Nick Byrd, Ph.D. @byrdnick.com · 14/09/2026

New paper led by Dr. Praachi Tiwari, a former postdoc in Yaden Lab at @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social, now faculty at Div of Behavioral Bio (also w/ @cassiemoorephd.bsky.social, Brian Jenkins, me, @eliseweerts.bsky.social). How psilocybin affects a set of spontaneous behaviors in rats beyond HTR...

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Reposted by David Yaden

If you had to guess whether someone’s a philosopher, what’d be more predictive? Their decisions about thought experiments? Or their scores on assessments of neurodivergent traits? In more than 1000 people, the measures of #autistic (and other traits) were more predictive:

doi.org

Thinking differently: neurodivergent traits and responses to thought experiments in philosophers and the general population

Philosophers have long speculated that individual differences in temperament influence philosophical thinking, yet empirical research has rarely explored the role of neurodivergent traits in this d...

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

From 144(!) items, to just 14 plus three stand-alone items. We validated this using factor analysis (initial factor structure did not replicate), qualitative procedures to ensure participants understand items, and getting near identical results b/w long and short form in trials

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

New paper, by me & Rebecca Ehrenkranz (former postdoc at The Yaden Lab at @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social), now asst prof of biostats at @northwellhealth.bsky.social : We validated & shortened the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ), used to measure pos and neg changes after psychedelic exp-

Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Reposted by David Yaden

New paper – Validating and Creating a Short-Form of the Persisting Effects Questionnaire: A Measure of Positive and Negative Outcomes from Psychedelic Experiences

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Eddie Jacobs PhD representing TheYadenLab, @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social, HOPE––and I think the consensus of many psychedelic scientists––at @fda.gov Any clinical application of psychedelics should, at least initially, use safeguards based on the clinical trial context until data can be gathered.

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Reposted by David Yaden

Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Representing Dr. David Yaden's (@existwell.bsky.social) lab at the CPCR & Hub at Oxford for Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) — see Postdoc Eddie Jacobs, PhD from the FDA public hearing this week on the importance of safeguards based on standardized evidence on psychedelic treatments in clinical trials.

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Reposted by David Yaden

Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In clinical trials, these risks can be much lower due to screening, medical oversight, and controlled environments, but they are not zero. At Johns Hopkins CPCR, we try to share a reminder about risks every year. Promising clinical signals deserve careful science, not hype. youtu.be/uhQj9FgGIwc

youtu.be

Risks in Psychedelic Clinical Trials | Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research

Psychedelics are not risk-free. In recreational settings, risks can include panic, impaired judgment, worsening of psychiatric symptoms, and persistent perceptual changes, all of which can be…

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Reposted by David Yaden

Experimental Philosophy @xphilosopher.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Philosopher @nathansen.bsky.social has created a website that uses AI to take people through a Socratic dialogue about a philosophical thought experiment I gave it a try. In my opinion, it really does help users think through these questions www.ux-phi.com/experiments

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

He also cited our @jamapsychiatry.com article by Jared Hinkle, Marianna Graziosi, Sandeep Nayak, me showing that psychedelics do sometimes result in serious adverse events (4% in neuropsychiatric populations)-important to remember alongside the real benefits jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

Adverse Events in Studies of Classic Psychedelics

This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs), including serious and nonserious AEs, among studies of classic psychedelics in 4 research database...

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

In order to adjust safeguards based on data on risks and benefits, evidence needs to be collected - and collected well, that is, in a standardized manner and comparable to other treatments and substances!

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Representing The Yaden Lab at @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social & HOPE at @fda.gov. Postdoc Eddie Jacobs @eddietalksdrugs.bsky.social spoke to how the evidence on psychedelic treatments comes from clinical trials, so those safeguards should be used for initial roll-out, to be adjusted based on data…

Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center @jhpsychedelics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Reposted by David Yaden

Join the Psychedelic Archives Project guest speaker series with Dr. Charles Nichols this Wednesday through the zoom link, no sign up is required. jhubluejays.zoom.us/j/92622903856

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Reposted by David Yaden

Experimental Philosophy @xphilosopher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Many of you will know the famous finding from @existwell.bsky.social and Derek Anderson: Philosophers' views on philosophical questions are not predicted by their personality traits But why not? I asked Anderson about this, and he had a very intriguing suggestion philarchive.org/rec/YADTPO-2

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Yea there also were associations Are you responding to @xphilosopher.bsky.social ’s question or the abstract?

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thanks - I will read this. I’m now curious how the authors of the philpapers survey think about these issues. I’d be interested to read any of your work or others you appreciate if you care to drop a link

Good question! I don’t know !

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Interesting discussion prompted by @xphilosopher.bsky.social & @androidson.bsky.social on our study correlating philosophical views with psychological traits in philosophers: when philosophers indicate they “accept” a view (eg on PhilPapers survey), do they believe it or just defend it? Thoughts?

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Interesting and helpful! Have you by any chance taken the PhilPapers survey? How do you think about the response option of “accept” x view? Would you endorse accepting a view that you have only defended but do not believe?

Experimental Philosophy @xphilosopher.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Reposted by David Yaden

In some existing work, participants are explicitly asked whether their views have some hallmark properties of belief psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Participants sometimes openly acknowledge that they don't – which makes this seem like a workable strategy

psycnet.apa.org

APA PsycNet

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

We are looking at this! we are looking to launch one on physics soon - I also want to do clinical psych/psychiatry

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David Yaden @existwell.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Interesting! I thought that “accept“ in the philpapers survey really suggests personal belief, but I’m now even less sure.. I’m trying to operationalize a question that gets to this issue. Do you think asking whether the Philpapers views are 1. really beliefs vs 2. defended but not believed works?

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yes ive heard this thought a few times and definitely believe it. But the Bourget @dbourget.bsky.social & Chalmers @davidchalmers.bsky.social Philpapers survey asks what views people “accept” - that seems more belief adjacent than interesting/creative views that one might write a defense for?

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Nick Byrd, Ph.D. @byrdnick.com · 11/09/2026

:) What do you predict we will see?

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Reposted by David Yaden

For what it’s worth, I found some big five personality traits *did* correlate with certain philosophical views (above and beyond other demographic and cognitive factors, N > 700): doi.org/10.1007/s131... 🔓 philarchive.org/rec/BYRGMD

Table 5 of “Great Minds Do Not Think Alike” (Byrd 2023) showing multiple regression predicting various philosophical views from cognitive, educational, demographic, and personality factors.

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Would the distinction be that endorsement of a view means either: 1. hold a belief in the view vs 2. defend but do not believe a view?

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people use the term predict in the causal and acausal/correletional sense, but yes we don’t know which way the causality goes or if there is some third variable affecting. We try to repeat this a lot in the paper to make sure that doesn’t confuse

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