The psychopharmacology department at Maastricht University focuses on the cognitive, behavioral, and biological effects of various substances, ranging from pharmaceutical to recreational drugs
Does stress make us less able to forget?
If you ever blacked out during an exam or lost forgot your lines when speaking in front of an audience, the notion that stress makes us unable to forget appears counterintuitive. But what if we actually try to forget something through active suppression? In that case, it appears that stress is actually preventing us to… Continue reading Does stress make us less able to forget?
Kim Kuypers at 1st Belgian Symposium on Psychedelic Science
On Saturday 25th of June, Kim Kuypers will be speaking at the 1st Belgian Symposium on Psychedelic Science hosted at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her talk will focus on the therapeutic future of the partydrug MDMA and discuss the current knowledge about the therapeutic potential of microdosing with psychedelics. More info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/belgian-symposium-on-psychedelic-science-tickets-345674460617
Functional brain connectomes reflect acute and chronic cannabis use
We recently employed resting state fMRI to identify fingerprints of cannabis use history and #cannabis intoxication in the whole brain human connectome. Two distinct data-driven methodologies, i.e. network-based statistics (NBS) and connICA, were used to identify changes in functional brain connectomes collected during placebo and THC exposure in occasional and chronic cannabis users. Whole-brain network… Continue reading Functional brain connectomes reflect acute and chronic cannabis use
Multifaceted Research with Psychedelics @ Maastricht University
We conduct a large variety of studies, all aimed at better understanding psychedelic mechanisms of action, and their clinical applications. To get a glimpse at some of the different aspects of our research, check out the video from our recent symposium, where our PhD candidates share some of the work going on at our department.… Continue reading Multifaceted Research with Psychedelics @ Maastricht University
Metabolomics and integrated network analysis reveal roles of endocannabinoids and large neutral amino acid balance in the ayahuasca experience
What is the metabolomic fingerprint of the ayahuasca experience? In a recent study, we collected plasma samples from 23 volunteers both before and during the ayahuasca experience. Samples were screened for concentrations of 164 targeted biomarkers, including endocannabinoids, markers of amino acid metabolism, steroids, ceramindes, etc. What did this fingerprint look like? Changes in serotonin… Continue reading Metabolomics and integrated network analysis reveal roles of endocannabinoids and large neutral amino acid balance in the ayahuasca experience