CPU
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit
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Research

Turning psychopharmacology into evidence the clinic can use

What does a drug actually do to the mind, and can that be turned into treatment?

Programmes

What we study

04 active lines
Reconsolidation11 papers

Memory reconsolidation

Destabilising and rewriting maladaptive reward and trauma memories that drive harmful substance use, disordered eating, and trauma-related disorders — combining prediction-error retrieval with behavioural, pharmacological, and brain stimulation approaches.

Leads · Gormley · Das · Kamboj
Classical psychedelics10 papers

Psychedelics & preparation

How psilocybin, DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT affect brain dynamics and wellbeing — and the DIPP programme building evidence-based ways to prepare people for the experience.

Leads · McAlpine · Das · Kamboj
Dissociatives5 papers

Nitrous oxide

Mapping the rewarding, dissociative and psychotomimetic effects of nitrous oxide — and testing it against PTSD and the memories that sustain heavy drinking.

Leads · Taujanskaitė · Piot · Kamboj
Contemplative5 papers

Mindfulness & contemplative pharmacology

Pairing brief mindfulness and compassion training with drugs — from MDMA to modafinil — to understand and enhance contemplative states.

Leads · Kamboj
Method

How we work

01
Randomised controlled trials
Double-blind, placebo-controlled designs in healthy volunteers and clinical populations.
02
Neuroimaging
Imaging the acute and lasting effects of a dose on brain network architecture.
03
Naturalistic studies
Measuring drugs as people actually use them, at the doses sold on the street.
04
Open & pre-registered
Hypotheses and analysis plans locked before data collection; data shared on publication.
Now running

Active studies

recruiting · 04 of 05
01PsilocybinPsychedelic PreparationRecruiting
02Nitrous OxidePost-Traumatic Stress DisorderIn preparation · Starts Q3 2026
03DMTRegular Alcohol DrinkersRecruiting04MDMAUnderstanding MDMA-assisted psychotherapyRecruiting05Brain StimulationTraumatic MemoriesRecruiting
In the press
Should the NHS use magic mushrooms to treat mental health?
A BBC News In Depth investigation into psychedelic medicine for mental health features Co-Director Dr Ravi Das and the CPU’s trial testing DMT in heavy drinkers.
Read the full piece on BBC News
BBC News
In Depth · January 2026
Featuring
Dr Ravi Das
Co-Director, CPU