DFF-International Postdoc grant to Dea Stenbæk

Congratulations to NRU post doc Dea Siggaard Stenbæk for receiving an International Postdoc grant worth 1.575.000 DKK from Independent Research Fund Denmark for the project entitled 'Brain dynamics of psychedelic serotonin 2A stimulation and music'.

Project period: 01-01-2020 to 31-12-2021.

Brief scentific summary of project:
Serotonin 2A receptor stimulation with the psychedelic compound psilocybin is emerging as a promising treatment for affective disorders, which includes the use of music as support. Music evokes a wide range of emotions and can change the way we think and feel about ourselves. However, a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms by which music interplay with psychoactive effects of psilocybin is needed to inform us about its clinical utility. I propose to evaluate changes in brain connectivity in response to psilocybin and music measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging, and to correlate such changes with cerebral
serotonin 2A receptor binding measured with positron emission tomography. International partners are leading world experts from the Psychedelic Research Group at Imperial College London where I plan to stay for 12 months. Results from the study will contribute significantly to our understanding of the role played by
music in psilocybin-assisted therapy.