Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – April 6, 2021) – NeonMind Biosciences Inc. (CSE: NEON) (FSE: 6UF) (OTC PINK: NMDBF) (“NeonMind”), is pleased to announce the commencement of a three phase university study dedicated to creating an ideal music playlist to accompany therapeutic psychedelic sessions. Previous research has established that music for a therapeutic psychedelic session can significantly impact the experience.
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“The emotional arc of a musical playlist during a psychedelic session can play an important role in supporting someone’s therapeutic experience,” says Rob Tessarolo, President & CEO of NeonMind. “Music can act as a pathway that is followed throughout the patient’s journey, taking them to places on an emotional level that they wouldn’t necessarily go without it. Working with Dr. Russo and his team means we’re able to scientifically investigate what have to date been assumptions about what makes a good playlist.”
NeonMind is working with Dr. Frank Russo, a professor of Psychology at Ryerson University, who conducts research on the biological, cognitive, and social-emotional bases of music and speech at the Science of Music Auditory Research and Technology (SMART) Lab. He is also an affiliate scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, a core member of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Music and Health Collaboratory.
NeonMind will conduct the research in three phases:
- an online playlist candidate validation study, surveying 50 people with relation to the self-transcendent emotions experienced when listening to snippets of longer musical tracks;
- an in-person playlist validation study at Ryerson’s SMART Lab; and
- a comprehensive in-person physiological validation study measuring biological markers to further substantiate the potential for self-transcendent emotions that the playlist in question generates.
“This is an exciting frontier to be a part of that dovetails nicely with several aspects of research that I’ve been conducting into the psychology of music throughout my career,” says Dr. Russo. “Music without a psychedelic has the potential to generate self-transcendent emotions such as compassion and awe, which may be transformative; on the basis of past research on music and psychedelics, it seems that the music a person listens to during a therapeutic trip is a major determinant of the overall experience. The playlist we are working towards takes various theoretical considerations into account, and the series of studies we’ve designed will enable us to iteratively assess and refine its efficacy.”
Each phase will help the team assess and fine-tune the playlist which will then be used in NeonMind’s clinical trials and for the enhancement of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy services.
About NeonMind Biosciences Inc.
NeonMind is engaged in research and development of products to optimize human health and performance. NeonMind has two divisions, a pharmaceutical division engaged in drug development of psychedelic compounds, and a consumer products division with a focus on mushroom infused products. NeonMind’s consumer division currently sells medicinal mushroom infused coffee products in Canada through NeonMind’s direct to consumer e-commerce platform. It also plans to launch medicinal dietary supplements in the U.S. this spring.
In its pharmaceutical division, NeonMind has two distinct psilocybin drug development programs targeting obesity. NeonMind’s first drug candidate aims to use synthetic psilocybin to enhance a patient’s ability to adopt behaviours that cause weight loss and maintain that loss through psychedelic-assisted cognitive therapy. The second drug candidate offers low dose synthetic psilocybin as a treatment to suppress appetite.
NeonMind’s first drug candidate employs psilocybin as an agonist to the serotonin receptor 5- HT2A, which is involved in the hallucinogenic effect of psychedelics, and the second drug candidate employs low-dose psilocybin as an agonist to the 5-HT2C receptor, which controls appetite.
For more information on NeonMind, go to www.NeonMindBiosciences.com or buy NeonMind mushroom infused coffee at www.NeonMind.com.
Rob Tessarolo, President & Chief Executive Officer, NeonMind Biosciences Inc.
rob@neonmind.com
Tel: 416-750-3101
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Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or NeonMind’s future performance. The use of any of the words “could”, “expect”, “believe”, “will”, “projected”,”estimated” and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on NeonMind’s current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, NeonMind’s drug development plans, its ability to retain key personnel, and its expectation as to the development of its intellectual property and other steps in its preclinical and clinical drug development constitute forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The statements made in this press release are made as of the date hereof. NeonMind disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be expressly required by applicable securities laws.