George wins prize for the highest student dissertation (pharmacology)!

One of our Master’s students, George, was awarded a prize for the highest student dissertation (pharmacology, undergraduate), here at UCL. See below for a brief description of his work:

Abstract: Classical psychedelics are a category of drugs distinguished by their ability to be ‘mind-manifesting’ and produce particularly profound alterations in subjective experience. This paper reviews recent research into these compounds, to examine the long-standing and prevalent hypothesis that there are precise phenomenological qualities of psychedelic experiences necessary for maximising their purported enduring therapeutic efficacy. Specifically, this paper excavates the concept of a ‘unitive’ experience, examining its role in the enduring alleviation of depressive symptomatology. Moreover, this paper collates neurobiological features that give rise to or accompany such experiences, beginning with alterations in receptor activity and finishing with alterations in global brain dynamics.