University of California starts major research program on psychedelics

The University of California, San Francisco is launching a new research program to examine the neurosciences behind the conditions and contextual elements that shape a psychedelic experience. In a statement Tuesday, the Neuroscape Psychedelics Division said it will launch after receiving $ 6.4 million in private funds. With these funds, the new UCSF program will integrate cutting-edge neuroscientific technology with the treatment of psychedelics, particularly during a MAPS Phase III trial for MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the UCSF professors, an appropriate "set and setting" has been shown to be essential for generating long-term benefits in psychedelic therapy. These conditions exist before, during, and after psychedelic treatment and can vary from patient to patient. The new Psychedelics Department is part of Neuroscape, a research center at the university that focuses on neuroscience and technology. It is known for using novel technologies to study the brain and for the first FDA-cleared use of video games as a medical treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The researchers in the new department will conduct studies that record a patient's neuronal and physiological data before and during a psychedelic experience - all under control of environmental factors such as music, light and smell. "This research will allow us to understand whether a particular treatment is well suited for an individual by assessing in real time how an experience is unfolding," says Jennifer Mitchell, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCSF, who will lead the clinical trials on MDMA. "Our goal is to dynamically adjust key context elements so that patients are guided to an optimal experience - and thus maximize long-term, sustainable positive benefits," she said in the statement. Given that more than half a billion people have mental illness worldwide, Neuroscape argues that there is an urgent need for new clinical tools and that approaches to optimize the delivery of psychedelic treatments should be explored. The department is headed as Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry by Robin Carhart-Harris, one of the most prominent researchers in the field of psychedelics at Imperial College London. "The creation of this new department is an extremely exciting development in the history of the psychedelic renaissance," says Carhart-Harris. "I am excited to join UCSF and the Neuroscape team and hope to lead this new department to great success." Neuroscape is known for using bespoke systems that integrate technologies such as 3D video game engines, brain-computer interface algorithms, virtual reality and motion capture.