Research/Projects

This is a phase I/IIa clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of MEAI (5-methoxy-2-aminoindane) in treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). MEAI is a psychoactive compound, with a chemical structure similar to MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), that has been reported to create an alcohol-like euphoric effect and decrease the desire to consume alcoholic beverages.

This study is the first attempt to assess the potential therapeutic effects of MEAI in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in individuals with alcohol use disorder. This study is a multi-site study that includes four sections with the goal of assessing the safety of this compound and its potential effects on alcohol use in healthy participants and individuals with alcohol use disorder and to determine the optimal dose.

This is a proof-of-concept clinical trial to study the feasibility of an immersive virtual reality experience in simulating the visual effects of psychedelics. While preliminary evidence points to the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), the contribution of the subjective experience in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics is poorly understood.

This study aims to mimic the subjective effects of psychedelics using virtual reality simulations of psychedelics. Participants will be shown one non-psychedelic VR video and two psychedelic VR videos. Subjects will then complete questionnaires and an interview to determine the subjective realism of the experience along with other associated feelings they may have.

This is a proof-of-concept clinical trial and experimental study to investigate the safety and efficacy of the psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), for the first time. DMT will be used in conjunction with a brief Motivational Enhancement Psychotherapy (MET) to evaluate its effectiveness on alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants with AUD will attend six psychotherapy sessions over multiple weeks and receive either a dose of DMT or placebo.

In the experimental session, we will assess the effects of DMT on the participants’ desire to drink alcohol using alcohol drinking paradigm, where participants will have an option to choose to drink or take money in an experimental setting. We will also evaluate their attention bias towards alcohol dinks using an eye tracking task.

We will also conduct fMRI before and after the DMT/placebo administration to investigate the effects of DMT on brain function at resting state and in response to a few tasks, compared to placebo.

This is a brain imaging study examining the status of the endocannabinoid system in individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). In particular, we will be examining the distribution and availability of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) in multiple brain regions.

Evidence from animal studies demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system is altered in chronic exposure to opioids and animal models of opioid use disorder. We investigate the availability of CB1R in individuals with opioid use disorder for the first time. Given the role of the endocannabinoid system in stress regulation, the endocannabinoid system alterations in opioid use disorder could potentially explain the stress hyper reactivity and stress-induced relapse in individuals with opioid use disorder.

The endocannabinoid system has a critical role in stress regulation and is responsible for the maintenance and regulation of a variety of crucial processes, from sleep and memory to pain and emotional processing. For this reason, the eCB system has become a hotbed for new research trying to understand how it can provide insight into treating disorders like depression, insomnia, and the subject of this study, PTSD.

Evidence from preclinical and a few clinical studies has demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system is dysregulated in stress related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders. In this study, we investigate stress response in individuals with PTSD and opioid use disorders in an experimental model. We will measure the physiological (pulse rate and blood pressure), psychological (stress levels), and hormonal (cortisol levels) responses in reaction to acute stress. We also measure the endocannabinoid response.