SOCIAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
In recent years there has been an increased interest in psychedelic research and in particular the ways in which psychedelic drugs can be used in conjunction with traditional therapies to strengthen the effects of the therapy. This is very much the goal of our clinical trial in Sweden.
Dr Harriet de Wit has been a driving force of psychedelics research for the last 40 years and so I was excited to be offered the opportunity to come and learn from here in this field.
My current research at UChicago is focused on MDMA (commonly Ecstacy/Molly). Typically this drug is known for its ability to heighten social behaviour and is used recreationally for this purpose. At UChicago I am currently researching the impact of MDMA on social behaviour in a controlled way using EEG and tasks related to social functioning.
NB: This field has already developed some interesting findings with one study showing increased social behaviour in notoriously solitary octopi once given MDMA