Advanced New Interventions for the Mind and Awareness (ANIMA)

Enhancing the therapeutic use of psychedelic substances:

• Conduct clinical trials: Generate original studies and collaborate with pharmaceutical industry companies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PAPs in various mental disorders, generating solid scientific evidence.
• Develop new clinical protocols: Create innovative scientific protocols for more effective and cost-efficient treatments, including the development of group intervention protocols.
• Explore the potential of combining PAPs with therapeutic approaches that have demonstrated safety and efficacy, as well as with new technologies.

Safety and mechanisms of action of psychedelic substances:

• Deepen understanding of the mechanisms of action of psychedelic substances: with the aim of developing interventions based on precision psychiatry, minimizing adverse effects and enhancing efficacy.
• Expand knowledge about the safety of psychedelic substances: to develop cross-sectional and prospective projects that gather detailed information on the potential adverse and long-term effects of these substances.

The group specializes in the research, development, and application of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (PAPs) for health promotion and the treatment of mental disorders. Research will also aim to understand the mechanisms of action, as well as the safety, risks, and salutogenic potential of these substances.

Regarding the methodologies and research techniques used: In the line exploring the therapeutic potential and clinical use of psychedelic substances, randomized controlled clinical trials predominate to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of these substances in conditions such as treatment-resistant depression or fibromyalgia. To this end, in addition to using clinical scales and diagnostic interviews, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), somatosensory threshold tests, experimental tests, and biomarkers in biological samples will be employed. Furthermore, clinical and biological results will be complemented with transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques and neuroimaging techniques through collaboration with other research groups.

In the line of safety and mechanisms of action of psychedelic substances, data collection analyses on hospital emergencies in collaboration with various institutions are included, as well as observational studies. In the latter case, biomarker collection, psychometric instruments, Ecological Momentary Assessment of biometric data, and automatic linguistic analysis will be used.