Conference

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About

Conference

Pre ICPR Events

About

Sergio Lázaro Martínez, MSc

Harvard Medical School

Speaker Bio

I completed my BSc in Biotechnology at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and furthered my academic journey with a traineeship in the GlowLab Laboratory for Regenerative Neuroscience at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine. During my tenure in the Research Master in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience at Maastricht University, I cultivated a profound interest in the neurobiological and cognitive effects that psychedelic drugs exert. Awarded with the atai fellowship, I am currently working at the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at Mass General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, advancing my expertise in preclinical research methods within fundamental neuroscience. My focus includes exploring the neurobiological effects of both natural and synthetic psychedelics, alongside other neuroplasticity modulators.

Additionally, I engage in diverse roles within foundations and associations, serving as a scientific advisor for InAwe, as an author and copywriter for OPEN Foundation's newsletter, and contributing to the organization of conferences such as the 2021 and 2024 ICPRs (Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research) and the 2020 EBPS (European Behavioural Pharmacology Society) biennial meeting.

ICPR 2024 Abstract

The Sun Opener project: A neuroethnopharmacological exploration of the molecular & cellular mechanisms underlying Heimia salicifolia’s psychedelic effects

Heimia salicifolia, also known as Sinicuichi or the Sun Opener, is a flowering plant in the loosestrife family (Lythraceae) with a rich, yet obscure and incompletely understood, ethnobotanical history of traditional use in Central and South America. The Sun Opener owes its name to the yellowing and darkening of the visual field that is experienced under its influence, with prominent psychedelic effects that include auditory hallucinations along a highly enhanced memory retrieval, which allows users to revisit prenatal events. Despite these and other potentially therapeutic properties, such as euphoria, analgesia, and heightened clarity of mind, H. salicifolia has been significantly understudied. Consequently, the fundamental pharmacological agents responsible for its psychedelic effects remain unknown, and potential next-generation psychedelics unexplored. This project delves into the ethnopharmacology of H. salicifolia through a neurobiological lens; and has generated preliminary evidence suggesting that its psychedelic nature is linked to a neuromodulatory response that stems from the presence of specific combinations of alkaloids, in close interplay with traditional methods of preparation. By focusing on the neuropharmacology and signaling mechanisms of these alkaloids downstream to several receptors, we are systematically dissecting Sinicuichi's effects on gene expression and different types of synaptic plasticity while exploring functional selectivity as a potential explanation for the emergence of this nuanced psychedelic experience. This project emphasizes the remarkable potential of incorporating traditional knowledge for studying molecules of natural origin and, ultimately, hopes to unveil new targets and chemotypes to contribute to developing novel, safer, and more effective treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands