Prof. Ravi Das, a psychopharmacology expert at UCL, dives into innovative treatments for addiction and anxiety. He discusses the groundbreaking largest DMT study and its implications for memory reconsolidation. The conversation highlights the ethical landscape of psychedelic research and the potential effectiveness of DMT compared to traditional therapies. Taking a closer look at memory reconsolidation, he explains how targeting unstable memories could disrupt cravings and anxiety conditions, paving the way for future mental health treatments.
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Targeting Learned Associations
Target learned associations between environmental cues and drug rewards to treat addiction.
Breaking these links can reduce cravings and drug-seeking behavior.
insights INSIGHT
Memory Reconsolidation and Ketamine
Memory reconsolidation, a process where memories become unstable when retrieved, offers a way to modify maladaptive memories.
Ketamine can disrupt this process, potentially treating addiction and PTSD.
insights INSIGHT
Mechanism over Outcome
Focusing solely on drug outcomes without understanding mechanisms leads to dead ends in psychiatry.
Understanding why treatments don't work for some is crucial for progress.
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Prof Ravi Das is a leading expert in psychopharmacology and cognitive neuroscience, with a career dedicated to understanding and developing innovative treatments for addiction and anxiety disorders. He completed his BSc in Psychology and MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (UCL), followed by a PhD in Psychopharmacology at the UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit.
Prof Das’s research takes a translational and experimental medicine approach, focusing on the mechanisms of memory plasticity and their role in the development of addictive and anxiety disorders. A key area of his work is memory reconsolidation—the process by which established memories become temporarily unstable when retrieved, creating an opportunity to modify maladaptive memories. By targeting these unstable memories, Prof Das explores how drug or behavioral interventions could potentially disrupt the cravings and relapse associated with addiction, the fear underlying anxiety disorders, or the flashbacks experienced in PTSD.
In addition to his work on memory reconsolidation, Prof Das is deeply interested in the phenomenology and effects of illicit drug use, as well as the role of cognitive and mindfulness-based strategies in treating substance use disorders. His research bridges the gap between scientific discovery and clinical application, with the ultimate goal of developing more effective, evidence-based treatments for mental health challenges.
The Drug Science Podcast