Psychopharmacology Maastricht

The psychopharmacology department at Maastricht University focuses on the cognitive, behavioral, and biological effects of various substances, ranging from pharmaceutical to recreational drugs.

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Congratulations to the NEW Dr. Elisabeth Prevete!

On successfully defending her PhD thesis ‘Mental Effects and Potential Therapeutic Use of Kratom/Mitragynine!’ This project was a joint venture between Maastricht University and Sapienza University of Rome. This is Elisabeth’s SECOND doctorate, she now holds an MD and a PhD! Congrats once again Elisbath on a great accomplishment!

Watch the defense here!
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Congratulations to the NEW Dr. Eline C. H. M. Haijen!

After successfully defending her PhD thesis entitled: “Exploring the Adult ADHD Treatment Landscape: From Current Practices to Psychedelic Microdosing and Novel Screening Approaches.” In her thesis, she looks at novel approaches of treating ADHD with LSD microdosing.

Watch the defense here!

Congratulations to Lilian Kloft-Heller for being awarded the Collaborative Innovative Projects grant

From The Science Committee of the Faculty of Law for her research titled "Effects of Intoxication on Legal Decision-Making in Suspects: Developing Experimental Tools Using Virtual Reality"

Across two studies, Lilian will assess how intoxicated suspects make decisions on their rights and strategies throughout the custodial process. One study will be a field study in which self-intoxicated participants (alcohol) will take part. This study will be conducted in a bar or at a festival. The second study is a lab experiment to examine effects of acute cannabis intoxication on suspect decision-making.

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Meet our Department!

The scientists in our lab come from many countries and backgrounds, all with highly unique research abilities. Come meet the people that make up the Psychopharmacology Department.

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Participate in our studies!

We're always conducting research in our department and we're frequently looking for participants to be a part of science! If you're interested, look at the studies that we are currently conducting.

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Hongyu Zhao, MSc

Memory, sleep deprivation

My name is Hongyu, and I am a researcher from China. After completing my undergraduate degree in anesthesiology and obtaining a master's degree in psychiatry from a prestigious medical university in China.

Prof. Jan Ramaekers

Drugs, Brain, Behavior

I work as a professor in psychopharmacology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. My research combines methods from psychopharmacology, forensic toxicology and cognitive neuroscience to determine drug induced changes in human performance.

Dr. Pim Heckman

Memory recovery, Sleep loss, Neuroplasticity

My academic training and research experience have provided me with an excellent background in multiple psychological disciplines including neurobiology, neuropsychology, and neuropsychopharmacology.

Lorena Guerra, MSc

Ayahuasca, ketamine, PTSD

I am Lorena, a PhD candidate from Brazil with experience working on preclinical and clinical research.

Janine Kox, MSc

Stress Resilience, Psychedelics, Cognitive biases

My research focuses on the effects of stress, sleep deprivation, on cognitive biases, by using the transdiagnostic rDOC approach, and see whether psychedelics such as LSD, Psilocybin and even non-hallucinogenic psychedelics can reverse these effects.

Dr. Eef Theunissen

Cognition, Synthetic Cannabinoids, Drugs and Driving

I began my Ph.D. journey in 2001 at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Maastricht. My research focused on investigating the sedating and stimulating effects of antihistamines, with a particular emphasis on their...

Dr. Johannes Reckweg

5-MeO-DMT, Neuropsychopharmacology, Therapy

I am Johannes, a PhD from Germany. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, I came to Maastricht for my Master in Neuropsychology.

Aedan O’Shea, MSc

miRNA, RDoC, Exosomes

I have a long standing interest in unravelling the therapeutic mechanisms of Psychedelics, and in this project I will investigate the effect of Psychedelic drug exposure in humans on miRNA’s transported in neuron-derived Extracellular Vesicles...

Iva Totomanova, MSc

ADHD, LSD, Microdosing

My primary research interest lies in exploring the potential of psychedelics to be used as novel treatment options for a range of psychiatric disorders.

We are always up for communicating with people that have interesting ideas or questions. If you want to contact our department, please reach out using this form below.

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