#619: Dr. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy — LSD Microdosing, Classical Psychedelics vs. Ketamine, Science and Speed in New Zealand, Placebo Options, and The Infinite Possibilities of Studying Mind-Altering Compounds

Dr. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy — LSD Microdosing, Classical
Psychedelics vs. Ketamine, Science and Speed in New Zealand,
Placebo Options, and The Infinite Possibilities of Studying
Mind-Altering Compounds


Dr. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy completed his PhD in
Psychology at the University of Auckland in 2005 after which he
joined the newly established Cardiff University Brain Research
Imaging Centre as a postdoctoral fellow. While at Cardiff, he
started research work with psychedelics in 2011 in collaboration
with Professor David Nutt and Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris
investigating the neuroimaging correlates of the psychedelic
drugs psilocybin and LSD. In 2014, Suresh received a prestigious
Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and returned to the University of
Auckland where he works in the School of Pharmacy at the Faculty
of Medical and Health Sciences and leads the Auckland
Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group.


Suresh’s main research interests are in understanding how
therapies alter brain function and behavior and in testing
methodologies to measure these changes in both healthy
individuals and patient groups — particularly in depressed
patients.


At the University of Auckland, he has conducted clinical trials
in depressed patients involving ketamine, scopolamine, and
transcranial magnetic stimulation. He has received several Health
Research Council of New Zealand research grants to support this
work, including a grant to investigate the effects of microdoses
of LSD on brain and cognitive function. Suresh has published 117
papers, with his work receiving 8000+ citations.


This special episode of the podcast is a live recording from an
event hosted by the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF). EHF began in
2016 as a pilot immigration program and has matured into a
fellowship of more than 500 technologists, creatives, investors,
entrepreneurs, educators, and systems designers, committed to New
Zealand as a base camp for global impact. From more than 50
different nationalities, including New Zealand, fellows span a
range of high-value sectors: media, education, cleantech, venture
capital, and mental health initiatives/research just to name a
few.


EHF and its fellows aim to make a meaningful impact in New
Zealand/Aotearoa with projects that often have global
applications.


Please enjoy!


*


[03:44] Current mental health and addiction trend lines in New
Zealand.


[05:37] Compounds Suresh has researched.


[07:13] Does scopolamine have potential as an antidepressant?


[09:55] How ketamine differs from other psychedelics.


[16:20] The durability of antidepressant effects.


[21:45] How Suresh picks the focus of his research (example: LSD
microdosing).


[24:43] Why New Zealand is unique for fostering psychedelic
innovation.


[31:01] How could New Zealand improve the impact of scientific
research?


[35:13] Inspiring research currently underway in New Zealand.


[37:40] Obstacles to getting ketamine labeled as an
antidepressant.


[40:39] Ketamine research by University of Otago’s Professor Paul
Glue.


[41:48] Future studies Suresh would like to see (and their
challenges).


[47:25] The difficulty of applying placebo controls to
psychedelic research.


[54:49] Getting the public to benefit from this research in a
timely manner.


[58:17] Risks of microdosing and relying on unregulated supplies.


[1:02:21] Open science replication crises.


[1:03:56] Training clinical personnel in new science as it
becomes available.


[1:07:20] Where can New Zealanders access psychedelic therapy
now?


[1:08:25] Avoiding another 50 years of psychedelic research
darkness.


[1:13:08] Is any of Suresh’s research focused on addiction
recovery?


[1:14:08] Why women haven’t been as widely included in these
studies as men.


[1:15:56] Where aspiring psychedelic researchers should focus
their education.


[1:17:02] Red flags in the private sector.


[1:20:14] Parting thoughts.


*


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