TIFR study uses psychedelic drug to trace neurons that can reduce anxiety

Date: 03-12-2025

In a first-of-its-kind study to leave India, a team at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai used a psychedelic to find a neuron that can activate the brain's ventral hippocampus, which processes emotional information and controls stress, in a way that may reduce anxiety.

Vidita Vaidya, a neuroscientist and professor of biological sciences at TIFR, who led the project, was quoted as saying that often people’s first reaction to the word “psychedelic” is alarming. However, ancient studies show that synthetic psychedelics have been used by certain tribes of Central and South America to target the ventral hippocampus, which could help reduce anxiety at both neural and cellular levels.

The drug used in their study is a synthetic one called DOI, designed by Alexander Shulgin in 1984, which focuses on identifying the neurons that reduce anxiety without triggering hallucinations.