New Projects Aim To Pioneer the Future of Neuroscience

One study will investigate the alterations in brain activity at the cellular level caused by psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in “magic mushrooms.”
How do neurons respond to the effects of magic mushrooms? What occurs in the brain during the perception of motion, or the recognition of grain patterns in wood? How does our brain monitor the gradual changes in the appearances of our friends over time?

The Allen Institute has launched four projects to investigate these questions through OpenScope, a shared neuroscience observatory. Just as astronomers use a few well-equipped observatories to study the universe, the OpenScope program lets neuroscientists worldwide propose and direct experiments on the Allen Brain Observatory pipeline. All research is made freely available to anyone tackling open questions in neural activity in health and disease.