6 ACUMEN • SPRING 2026 BIOLOGY PSYCHEDELICS AND BRAIN DAMAGE REPAIR Chronic stress strips neurons in the brain of dendritic spines, the tiny protrusions where synapses form, dismantling the neural circuits underlying memory and decision-making. Now, emerging research suggests that psychedelic compounds may help rebuild these damaged circuits, offering new hope for treating illnesses like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Neuroscientist Ju Lu uses advanced brain imaging to observe this repair process. While classical psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD activate serotonin 2A receptors, small-scale trials show they produce lasting benefits from just one or two doses—a stark contrast to conventional antidepressants, which patients must take continuously. Lu, assistant professor of biological sciences, continues work from his postdoctoral research at the University of California-Santa Cruz with biologist Yi Zuo. They collaborated with University of California-Davis chemist David Olson, who developed tabernanthalog (TBG), structurally like the psychedelic drug ibogaine but lacking its toxic and hallucinogenic effects. A single TBG dose rapidly reverses stress effects in mice, correcting behavioal deficits and promoting neuronal regrowth. At Lehigh, Lu exposes mice to seven days of unpredictable mild stressors, then uses two-photon microscopy to observe synaptic loss in the prefrontal cortex. Without treatment, few new spines formed. But TBG dramatically accelerated synapse formation. “If you give the drug, you see quite a bit of the formation. One dendritic spine was lost and then two of them formed,” he says. “Another is lost; one is formed. So, the statistics show that over one day, the formation rate is much higher than in the baseline condition, or after stress where the spine has recovered.” Behaviorally, TBG restored normal function across three measures: reduced anxiety, improved cognitive flexibility, and recovered sensory discrimination. Lu also found that stress increases neural “noise” where neurons fire erratically even at rest. TBG restores normal patterns by quieting inappropriate firing. One crucial question concerns durability. Lu’s data reveals temporary synapse formation, but preliminary analysis suggests these new synapses survive at higher rates than normal ones. “We’re still analyzing this data, but it seems like although this formation itself is a kind of transient boost, these new synapses tend to stay longer. And we think that probably something has to do with the fact that the therapeutic effect is long-lasting, because they stay, and therefore the circuit is permanently changed that way, more persistent. And now the question is, we know they’re mostly expressed in these neurons. So, what if they get rid of them from there? What would happen?” Understanding these mechanisms could enable more targeted interventions for depression and related disorders. MODERN LANGUAGES & LITERATURES GREEN NOODLES AND THE POETRY OF FOOD Dr. Seuss may have written about green eggs, but poet Du Fu (712-770), one of the most important figures in Chinese literary history, wrote about green food in his famous poem “HuaiLeaf Cold Noodles.” The detailed recipe based on the poem appeared in “Pure Offerings in the Mountains” one of the oldest surviving standalone cookbooks in China, dating from the 13th century. Wandi Wang is translating the cookbook and has classified it not just as a collection of recipes, but as a masterpiece of literature. Lin Hong (fl. 1224-1263), the author of “Pure Offerings in the Mountains,” was known as a “Rivers and Lakes poet,” but most of his poetry was lost. Wang, assistant professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, explains he wasn’t a scholar-official poet with a post because he didn’t pass China’s civil service examination at that time. The cookbook, while a way to attract attention, wasn’t just a cookbook like we’d imagine today. “He discussed a lot of poetry ... He quoted his own poetry, as well as poetry from his contemporaries and earlier voices, to show that he was very knowledgeable,” Wang says. Wang is working on a book, tentatively titled “Taste and Gastropoetics in Traditional China,” that explores gastronomic writings by literati in the Song dynasty (9601279). “I focus on the Song dynasty because that’s when gastronomic writings emerged,” she notes. In many ways, Song dynasty food culture marks China’s first historical moment that closely parallels the dynamics of modern gastronomic culture. Part of her research includes offering the first complete translation of “Pure Offerings in the Mountains” with annotations and detailed analysis, a challenging task given that this is BRIEFS CHRISTINE KRESCHOLLEK Ju Lu
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