One of the biggest psychological spanners to be thrown into our brainworks is chronic stress. “When chronic stress disrupts this signaling, it leads to a cascade involving brain-resident cells and immune cells that ultimately increases fear behavior,” Wheeler said in the interview. Researchers observed another effect of chronic stress: inflammatory immune cells called monocytes—which are involved in multiple inflammatory disorders—also migrated to the meninges. The scientists think that using psychedelics for stress could have a therapeutic role in combating inflammatory diseases as well. However, we are likely leaving much underlying biology on the table by focusing solely on the brain,” Wheeler said in the interview.