5th Annual Alan Frazer Lectureship – Frederick S. Barrett, Ph.D.

I work at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and behavioral pharmacology to better understand the psychological, cognitive, and neurobiological basis of the acute and enduring effects of psychoactive drugs in both healthy and patient human populations. My primary interests are in the acute and enduring effects of classic (serotonergic) psychedelic drugs (such as psilocybin and LSD), and we consider these in comparison to similar effects of atypical hallucinogens (such as the NMDA-antagonist dextromethorphan and the kappa opioid agonist salvinorin A) and other psychoactive compounds (such as stimulants and cannabinoids). In collaboration with colleagues across the institution, we apply psychometrically validated questionnaire instruments, computerized cognitive testing, peripheral and central electrophysiological measurements, magnetic resonance imaging methods (functional, structural, and spectroscopic), and molecular imaging methods to these questions.