Episode 12: The Neuroscience of the Salem Witch Trials

When two young girls in 1692 started barking like dogs, fevering and convulsing into impossible positions, the deeply Puritan community of Salem, Massachusettes was quick to cry witchcraft. But they could never have envisioned that religious fervor, family feuds, and potentially a hallucinogenic fungus could have resulted in over 200 people being accused of witchcraft and 20 being executed for the deed. Come and listen to learn a little bit more about the neuroscience of the Salem Witch Trials! Please rate, review, and subscribe and if you have any questions, comments, concerns, queries, or complaints, please email me at [email protected] or DM me at NeuroscienceAmateurHour on Instagram.Citations below:Nast C. Inside the Salem Witch Trials. The New Yorker. Published August 31, 2015. Accessed March 8, 2022. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/07/the-witches-of-salem#:~:text=Nearly%20to%20a%20person%2C%20theyLarry Dale Gragg. A Quest for Security : The Life of Samuel Parris, 1653-1720. Conn. ; London; 1990.Betty Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the Salem Witch Trials. Published June 10, 2013. Accessed March 8, 2022. https://historyofmassachusetts.org/betty-parris-first-afflicted-girl-of-the-salem-witch-trials/#:~:text=Shortly%20after%20the%20incident%2C%20BettySalem Witch Trials - Further Readings. Jrank.org. Published 2019. https://law.jrank.org/pages/9985/Salem-Witch-Trials.htmlProtein structure reveals how LSD affects the brain. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Published February 13, 2017. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/protein-structure-reveals-how-lsd-affects-brainCormier Z. Brain scans reveal how LSD affects consciousness. Nature. Published online April 11, 2016. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19727Eadie MJ. Convulsive ergotism: epidemics of the serotonin syndrome? The Lancet Neurology. 2003;2(7):429-434. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(03)00439-3‌A Common Misconception: The Ergot Theory and the Salem Witch Trials. Salem 1692. Published January 4, 2015. https://salemwitchtrialsresearch.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/a-common-misconception-the-ergot-theory-and-the-salem-witch-trials/Support the show