The FDA's psychedelic sea-change: what accelerated clinical trials for psilocybin, methylone, and ibogaine mean for mental health and neuroscience research | Boris Heifets

Last month we saw a big shift in the federal government’s approach to psychedelic medicine.Specifically, following an executive order by President Trump, the FDA announced it is fast-tracking its review of several clinical trials of psychedelic drugs for patients with mental health disorders. The executive order also directed more funds towards psychedelic research and a review of psychedelics’ status as highly restricted Schedule 1 substances. To help us understand what all this means for the future of psychedelic medicine and the neuroscience of psychedelics, we’re joined by Boris Heifets, an anesthesiologist at Stanford Medicine who runs a lab studying how psychedelics affect the nervous system and their impact on patients with psychiatric conditions.Learn MoreThe Heifets Lab at Stanford MedicineFDA plans ultra-fast review of three psychedelic drugs following Trump directive (Associated Press, 2026)Trump’s order on psychedelics could have far-reaching science consequences (Scientific American, 2026)Psychedelics, placebo, and anesthetic dreams (From Our Neurons to Yours, 2024)Pychedelics inside out — how do LSD and psilocybin alter perception? (From Our Neurons to Yours, 2024)The power of psychedelics meets the power of placebo (From Our Neurons to Yours, 2024)Magnesium–ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries (Nature, 2024)Magnesium–ibogaine therapy effects on cortical oscillations and neural complexity in veterans with traumatic brain injury (Nature Mental Health, 2025)Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience.We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at [email protected] more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.