[1] Top figure from Carhart-Harris R.L. et al, “Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113 (2016), pp. 4853–4858.
Want to become a member of APRA? Find out more here!
APRA is an interdisciplinary, academic, nonprofit association, officially created in April 2018 by a group of volunteer students and researchers from Amsterdam Universities and medical institutes. This action was prompted by several factors, such as:
- The recognition of the research and therapeutic value of psychedelic substances, for which scientific evidence is now abundant [1,2,3,4,…]
- The persistence of anecdotal beliefs and stigma regarding psychedelics, particularly within academia
- The current absence of dedicated research efforts within this field in Amsterdam-area institutions.
Considering the recent advancements in cognitive sciences, natural sciences, and artificial intelligence, the lack of research in this promising and relatively unexplored field appeared as a lapse in long-term research planning, especially in a city that can boast cutting-edge biomedical and neuroimaging technologies. Therefore, the Amsterdam Psychedelic Research Association was formed to fill in this niche.
In practice, we aim to:
- Provide information to students and researchers about developments in academic research on psychedelics through lectures, journal clubs, seminars.
- Diminish unscientific stigma within academia and help normalize the status of education and research in this field.
- Promote the start of a concerted, interdisciplinary research effort in this direction within the Amsterdam institutions.
APRA does not encourage illegal drug use outside controlled research and medical contexts, and promotes all available harm-reduction strategies.
University students, researchers or faculty based at Amsterdam institutions, that are interested in actively collaborating are particularly encouraged to become members and contact us at:
Research.APRA@gmail.com
We encourage students and researchers from other cities and countries to start similar initiatives, and get in touch with us, to move together towards a collaborative network of psychedelic research associations.
More detailed information can be found here.
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