After5NewYork - Inside The Altered Brain: The Neuroscience of Drugs

Explore how drugs affect the brain, alter perception and behavior, and reshape the neuroscience behind mood, memory, and decision-making

A Conversation on Consciousness, Chemistry, and the Human Brain

Join a neuroscientist and cannabis industry expert for Inside the Altered Brain: The Neuroscience of Drugs, an engaging exploration of how psychoactive substances interact with the brain to shape perception, emotion, behavior, and our experience of reality. Together, we'll uncover the science behind how different substances affect the brain, from stimulants and depressants to psychedelics, dissociatives, and cannabinoids. Through the fundamentals of psychopharmacology, we'll explore how these substances influence the way we think, feel, and experience the world, and what scientific research reveals about the fascinating relationship between chemistry and consciousness.

What We'll Cover:

• How Drugs Interact With the Brain - Explore how psychoactive substances interact with neurotransmitters, neural pathways, and other brain systems to influence mood, cognition, sensation, and behavior.

• Understanding Different Substances and Their Effects - Discover how substances such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, ketamine, psilocybin, and LSD affect brain activity, why their effects vary, and what makes each experience distinct.

• The Science of Altered Consciousness - Examine what research reveals about the short- and long-term effects of psychoactive substances on the mind and body, and how these substances can change our perception of reality and consciousness.

Whether you're interested in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, culture, or simply curious about what happens inside the brain when consciousness shifts, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of the chemistry and science behind altered experiences.

Don't miss this chance to connect with your After5Society!

*This is an educational exploration of neuroscience, not a promotion or discouragement of drug use.

About The Speaker:

Isabel Bermudez is a neuroscientist and cannabis industry professional specializing in psychoactive substances and their effects on the brain. She earned her B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University, where she conducted research in the Concepts, Actions, and Objects Lab, and recently completed her M.S. in Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, one of the first programs focused on psychedelic science and therapeutics. Her work focuses on cannabis and psychedelics, including emerging clinical research on psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD, depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and end-of-life distress. She also explores altered states of consciousness, adverse experiences such as “bad trips” and psychosis risk, and the gap between evidence and perception in cannabis use, medical myths, and historical narratives such as MKUltra. Her focus is on separating scientific evidence from hype and misinformation.

Good to know before you come:

• Exact bar location will be disclosed in your confirmation email

• Arrive early to grab a drink and get settled

• The speaker portion lasts 1 hour, with optional time to stay and socialize afterward

• This is a participatory event

• Seating is limited to keep the experience intimate