Many common drugs can impact the composition of gut microbiome communities. Scientists compared directly, for the first time, the effect of 30 diverse drug treatments on bacteria when they were grown in isolation versus as part of a complex community. The researchers found that the impact of drugs on bacteria is often less pronounced when they are part of a community, due to cross-protection strategies. Mapping and understanding emergent drug-microbiome interactions within the community context may help scientists design improved therapies with fewer side effects and higher drug efficacy in the future.
Read more …Better together: Gut microbiome communities' resilience to drugs
A classic psychedelic, similar to LSD, psilocybin and mescalin, was found to activate a cell type in the brain that silences other neighboring neurons, a result that provides insight into how such drugs reduce anxiety, according to a new study.
Read more …Psychedelics excite cells in hippocampus to reduce anxiety