About

The overarching purpose of the Nielson lab is to understand and treat trauma. Research projects in the Nielson lab utilize a multidisciplinary approach, merging the fields of neurobiology, psychiatry and informatics to identify more precise "bio-types" of trauma psychopathology than traditional diagnostic criteria, and potential novel targets for treatment. We use established and emerging machine learning methods with multi-modal data spanning across a diverse range of diagnostic categories for neuropsychiatric disorders. Our approach can be used to run hypotheses on in silico models to understand the complexity involved in these disorders. An advantage of such approaches is the minimization for the need to test hypotheses in animal models (in vivo). Dr. Nielson received an Early Stage Investigator (ESI) award from NIMH to apply these methods to large datasets from trauma-exposed patients to identify and validate dimensions of post-traumatic stress (PTS), relevant biological predictors, and precision treatment response trajectories.

Other areas of focus in the Nielson lab are dedicated to psychedelic neuroscience research and drug policy reform. Dr. Nielson has been collecting data through an anonymous online survey to assess benefits and risks of ayahuasca use in naturalistic settings to treat symptoms of trauma. Dr. Nielson is also conducting research into the neurological mechanisms of altered states of consciousness and their role in promoting neuroplasticity and wellness in healthy research participants. This work is funded by the newly created Psychedelic-Assisted THerapy (PATH) Fund through the UMN Foundation, which was created thanks to a generous donation from the local community. These, and other data, are part of a larger network of data supporting the potential for psychedelic therapies and experiences to promote wellness across a diverse range of mental health disorders (see network below).

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Mental Health Informatics Research

Recent efforts to optimize diagnosis and treatment planning for psychiatric disorders through the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and ongoing clinical trials have generated large datasets housed in the NIMH Data Archive (NDA). The NDA is a valuable resource for data-driven discovery in mental health research. Data across multiple units of measure from a wide array of disorders are housed in the NDA. We mine data from the NDA, and other similar data repositories, to characterize biotypes that span across diagnostic categories, and the complex constellation of symptoms and functional deficits that can be measured in individual patients, and potential treatment targets for future research.

Psychedelic Research

Psychedelic research is undergoing a renaissance within the scientific arena, where an astounding volume of literature and data are emerging to support this new frontier in science and medicine. There is also increasing attention being paid in the popular press towards their therapeutic potential, including notable mediums like The New Yorker, NY Times, and Rolling Stone. Additionally, compounds such as MDMA and psilocybin have recently been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA for PTSD and depression, respectively, making this area of research an exciting and innovative avenue for continued scientific exploration into their mechanisms of action.

Psychedelic research in my lab focuses on collecting data from completed and ongoing psychedelic research studies to develop an evidence base for drug policy reform and treatment planning, as well as to understand the mechanisms for how these compounds inform new models about information processing in the human brain. Current projects include analysis of data from anonymous online surveys, including a study of ayahuasca users in naturalistic settings (see "Media" and "Publications" tabs for results), and unique perspectives of marginalized communities often excluded or not represented in clinical trials with psychedelics (see "Participate" tab for links to surveys). Clinical trials I am working on include a phase 1 study investigating the role of psilocybin on neural mechanisms related to visual perception and expectations (NCT04424225), and a phase III trial of psilocybin for treatment resistant depression (NCT05624268).

The network below is a working model of overlapping symptoms of trauma, and various psychedelic therapies that have published research (red numbers and reference list) suggesting a therapeutic benefit.

Donate to the PATH Fund!

Mental Health Informatics Research

Psychedelic Research

References for psychedelic therapy network

1. LSD, psilocybin or MDMA for end of life anxiety

2. LSD and psilocybin for migraine and cluster headaches

3. Psilocybin for depression

4. Ayahuasca for depression

5. Ayahuasca for addiction

6. Ayahuasca for PTSD

7. Ibogaine for addiction

8. Psilocybin for addiction

9. Psilocybin for OCD

10. MDMA for PTSD

11. MDMA for social anxiety in autistic adults

12. Cannabidiol for Dravet's syndrome

13. Marijuana for PTSD

14. Ketamine for depression (in progress, many trials on this)

15. Ketamine for PTSD

16. MDMA for addiction

17. Ketamine for addiction