Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Alex Kwan @alexkwan.bsky.social · Aug 1

New preprint from collaboration with @sn-lab.bsky.social - 2p imaging of psilocybin's effects on neurovascular coupling 🧠🔬

We found that psilocybin prolongs the neurovascular response, independent of neural activity.

This would affect how we should interpret fMRI BOLD studies of psychedelics ‼️

Rick Zirkel @rick-zirkel.bsky.social · Aug 1

Excited to share our latest work is up on bioRxiv! Looking at capillary flow speed changes we show that psilocybin prolongs the neurovascular coupling response to a visual stimulus. 🍄🔬🧠🩸

@chris-schaffer.bsky.social @alexkwan.bsky.social @sn-lab.bsky.social

Preprint:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

3 10 37

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Nature @nature.com · Jul 23

These members of the NIH Council of Councils are voicing serious concerns about NIH grant terminations, restructure, and budget cuts

go.nature.com/46Vr8t2

Protect the integrity of the US National Institutes of Health

Letter to the Editor

go.nature.com

1 36 66

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · Jul 19

Thanks for walking me through it - your work is super cool!!

1

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · Jul 19

Likewise!

1

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · Jul 19

#GRCPsychedelics - What a blast! It was great to talk science with so many incredible people in the field. Can't wait to do it all over again!

2 5 19

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Chris Rozell @crozell.bsky.social · Jul 17

Please repost! We're hiring a postdoc to work with me and
@salagapan.bsky.social on an exciting interdisciplinary project in human neuroscience and brain-body interactions underlying effortful behavior in health and mood disorders.

siplab.gatech.edu/postdoc_ad_2...

SIPLab

siplab.gatech.edu

1 29 26

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Jul 17

Earlier today we said everyone should oppose the current rescission package, even though it does not include #NIH provisions.

We said this bill will embolden Trump and Vought to enact massive NIH budget cuts via another rescission.

Now Vought confirms. 1/

Vought's comments set off Hill furor as shutdown threat
looms

4 23 72

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jul 14

NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding.

NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.

Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities

The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.

www.nature.com

46 790 1K

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Tracy Bale @thebalelab.bsky.social · Jul 14

NIH and FDA hosted a workshop on July 7 on efforts to reduce the use of animal models in research, NIH has formally announced a policy change. The agencies have invited comments through the workshop’s webpage. PLEASE COMMENT. The portal will be open until 5pm ET on Monday, July 14 (TODAY).

2 15 14

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Jul 11

DO NOT GIVE UP!

Our advocacy is working.

A key Senate committee has indicated that it will reject Trump’s proposed cuts to science agencies including NASA and the NSF.

Keep speaking up and calling your electeds 🗣️🗣️🗣️

Nature: US senators poised to reject Trump’s proposed massive science cuts

Committee gives first hint that policymakers might preserve, rather than slash, funding for US National Science Foundation and other agencies.

8 450 1.3K

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · May 29

This isn’t just a warning — it’s a call to action.

🛑 Stand against a future where facts are filtered by Trump’s ideology. Sign & share our open letter. ⬇️

actionnetwork.org/petitions/op...

Sign The Open Letter to Stand Up For Science Now!

Science is under siege. Trump’s latest Executive Order calls for politically appointed science commissars to evaluate research. Join us in adding your name to our open letter condemning Trump’s escala...

actionnetwork.org

23 48

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · May 13

Microglia are often framed as driving maladaptive behavior in stress and depression, but what if they're important for treatment as well?

In the final project from my graduate studies, we explored whether microglial BDNF supports the effects of low-dose ketamine.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Microglial brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) supports the behavioral and synaptogenic effects of ketamine

Microglia have been implicated in the pathogenesis for several psychiatric disorders, yet comparatively little is known about their role in treatments for these conditions. Prior work showed that the ...

www.biorxiv.org

2 5

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · May 5

If you read one thing today, make it this:

Eliza Bliss-Moreau @eblissmoreau.bsky.social · May 4

The NIH move to restrict animal research is a bad one and not just about health - it's about national security.

More here:
medium.com/@eblissmorea...

This will kill us: restricting animal research

Tuesday, as my lab gathered to celebrate the completion of one of our big studies, the National Institutes of Health announced that they…

medium.com

10 32

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · Apr 25

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

600 21K 60K

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Eric C. Greene @dnacurtain.bsky.social · Apr 11

I am a professor at Columbia University. All of the student NIH training grants have been canceled and now there are reports that ALL funding will be frozen. Why are Universities not banding together and speaking out publicly and forcibly about governmental attacks on biomedical research?

53 410 1.3K

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Michael Hendricks 🇨🇦 @michaelhendricks.bsky.social · Apr 11

IF YOU FIGHT, THEY BACK DOWN.

The only explanations for institutional compliance are you're cowards or you like it.

Kathleen Belew @kathleenbelew.bsky.social · Apr 11

www.wbez.org/education/20...

Congressional committee investigating Northwestern withdraws demand for records

In a surprising turnabout, a committee that accused Northwestern of engaging in “progressive-left political advocacy” dropped a demand on Thursday for information about the law school's legal clinics.

www.wbez.org

9 24

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Science Magazine @science.org · Apr 9

Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1

NIH freezes all research grants to Columbia University

Amid negotiations with Trump, the university could risk losing nearly $700 million

scim.ag

83 470 740

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Alex Kwan @alexkwan.bsky.social · Apr 9

@samcwoodburn.bsky.social previously tested 2 mg/kg psilocybiin, among many other conditions, for fear extinction.
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

The results are very close... Ours in the top, the cross-lab average in the bottom

Effect of 2 mg/kg psilocybin on fear extinction in mice.

1 3 11

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Mar 28

"The consolidation/RIF plan pulls power away from scientists and puts it in the hands of political employees. It sets up Trump and Musk to kill NIH as an evidence-based science funder. We must stop this plan."

New contributed post on our blog: Please read.
It describes Orban and authoritarianism. 🧪

The NIH firing plan is really a radical institute merger and an authoritarian takeover

this is an Orbanization of US science: a move to exert political control over discovery, which will kill the US medical research industry and end cancer cures. The plan must be stopped. We can act.

open.substack.com

6 110 230

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · Mar 28

🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions.

The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)

docs.google.com

34 280 550

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Mar 18

“Yet, far from acting in courageous defiance, many scientists and administrators now seem to think that the best response to the war on DEI is to keep their heads low and wait out four hard years.”

Hell yes, Art Caplan. More courageous defiance, less quiet cowardice.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Don’t wait out four hard years: speak truth to power

The importance of diversity in science is an unshakeable reality that the scientific community must stand by.

www.nature.com

6 87 310

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · Feb 17

Justin is a phenomenal scientist and all around great person! After working together for 5 years, I seriously can't recommend him enough if you're looking for someone to tackle difficult research questions

Justin Bollinger @bollinger.bsky.social · Feb 16

I am actively looking for a research scientist position or research administration role within the Raleigh-Durham (RDU) area! Please reach out if my background and skillset might fit your labs needs :-) Lots of experience with preclinical models, translational neuroscience, and behavioral analyses!

1

Sam Woodburn @samcwoodburn.bsky.social · Feb 13

I feel fortunate to mentor such thoughtful students! I'm not sure if they're aware, but stuff like this makes my whole week.

It feels good to know I can have a similar impact on them as my mentors have had on me.

A thank you card and magnet from my student after their trip abroad.

1

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

Alex Kwan @alexkwan.bsky.social · Feb 13

Can whole-brain imaging of cellular c-Fos signals be used to classify #psychedelics? 🧠🔬💊

Our study by @aboharbf.bsky.social and @pashadavoudian.bsky.social, developing an imaging and machine learning pipeline to test a panel of psychoactive drugs.

Paper here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Classification of psychedelics and psychoactive drugs based on brain-wide imaging of cellular c-Fos expression - Nature Communications

A challenge in psychiatric drug discovery is to predict the therapeutic potential of a novel compound. Here, the authors show that brain-wide imaging of immediate early gene expression can be used to ...

www.nature.com

5 44 120

Reposted by Sam Woodburn

J. David Jentsch 🏳️‍🌈 @jdavidjentsch.bsky.social · Jan 29

The current administration is doing everything it can to irreparably harm trans people and destroy their dignity and well-being.

Yet this is getting way less discussion and conversation than threats to grants.

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Trump signs sweeping order to further restrict trans care for minors nationwide

The order says the U.S. will not “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” transition-related care for minors, which it defines as those under age 19.

www.nbcnews.com

1 10 17