Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 23, 2026
Joanna Kuć, Rosalind McAlpine, Amelia Sellers et al.
5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), a potent, short-acting psychedelic, induces profound shifts in cognition, affect, and self-awareness. Because language explicitly expresses these domains and voice implicitly conveys them, both may serve as potential 'biomarkers' of behavioural change. This study introduces a novel framework for analysing baseline language and vocal features, pre-...
Cell Reports
July 22, 2025
George Blackburne, Rosalind McAlpine, Marco S. Fabus et al.
10 citations
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychedelic drug known for its uniquely profound effects on consciousness; however, it remains unknown how it affects the brain. We collected electroencephalography (EEG) data of 29 healthy individuals before and after inhaling a high dose (12-mg) of vaporized synthetic 5-MeO-DMT. We replicate results from rodents showing amplified low-frequency...
bioRxiv
April 21, 2025
Joanna Kuć, Rosalind McAlpine, Amelia Sellers et al.
preprint
Abstract 5-MeO-DMT, a potent, short-acting psychedelic, induces profound shifts in cognition, affect, and self-awareness. Because language explicitly expresses these domains and voice implicitly conveys them, both may serve as potential ‘biomarkers’ of behavioural change. This study introduces a novel framework for analysing baseline language and vocal features, pre- to post-psychedelic...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 7, 2024
George Blackburne, Rosalind McAlpine, Marco S. Fabus et al.
8 citations
preprint
Abstract 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychedelic drug known for its uniquely profound effects on subjective experience, reliably eradicating the perception of time, space, and the self. However, little is known about how this drug alters large-scale brain activity. We collected naturalistic electroencephalography (EEG) data of 29 healthy individuals before and after...
February 9, 2024
Rosalind McAlpine, George Blackburne
3 citations
preprint
This paper examines the potential of group psychedelic therapies in addressing suicidality, particularly in the context of social disconnectedness. With suicide recognised as a complex issue influenced by multiple factors, including a lack of social connectedness, this research explores the use of psychedelics in group settings as a novel approach to enhance social connectedness and potentially...
Scientific Reports
February 8, 2024
Rosalind McAlpine, George Blackburne, Sunjeev K. Kamboj
24 citations
Preparing participants for psychedelic experiences is crucial for ensuring these experiences are safe and, potentially beneficial. However, there is currently no validated measure to assess the extent to which participants are well-prepared for such experiences. Our study aimed to address this gap by developing, validating, and testing the Psychedelic Preparedness Scale (PPS). Using a novel...
George Blackburne, Alberto Liardi, Jeremy I Skipper et al.
preprint
The relationship between subjectivity and its substrate can be understood via the notion of compatibilist emergence, accounting for the plurality of ways nature can host new dynamical laws at higher scales. We discuss how the autopoietic character of life may require and promote the kind of emergence necessary, albeit not sufficient, for consciousness.
Jeremy I Skipper, Christopher Timmermann, Rosalind McAlpine et al.
Consciousness is often studied by asking whether particular brain regions or systems are privileged. We tested a distributed, decentred and context-sensitive alternative using 579 consciousness-focused neuroimaging studies. Semantic clustering of titles and abstracts identified seven domains whose corrected meta-analytic maps showed limited overlap and no invariant cross-domain core. These maps...