January 23, 2012

psilocybin and the brain: fMRI studies and uses in psychotherapy

Speakers:
Prof David Nutt, Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Beckley Foundation Research Fellow, Imperial College London

Two leading experts came to the SMC to discuss research into the effects on the brain of the active component in magic mushrooms. A paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences disclosed the effects of psilocybin on the brain through fMRI scans, while the authors of a paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry suggest that psilocybin could be a useful tool in psychotherapy.