How to Set Up a Psychedelic Research Study

What makes a great psychedelic study design? As we saw last year with the US FDA rejection of MDMA, it might not be the ‘gold-standard’ randomized controlled trial (RCT)—psychedelic therapy might demand a new kind of science. In this episode, I’m joined by PhD student Marcus Glennon, first author of a recent publication from top researchers across the UK who have put together their best research recommendations for psychedelic study design. 

This episode is a gold-mine of practical information for researchers and trainees, including answers to the following pressing questions in psychedelic research: Are screening criteria too strict? Why is the gold standard RCT poorly suited for psychedelic research and what are some alternatives? How should we rethink placebo in clinical trials? What important outcome measures are we missing? How can we determine the role of psychotherapy? How do we report adverse events? What can we learn from traditional knowledge systems? 

Marcus is a final year PhD student at University College London studying neuropsychopharmacology. His work looks at the intersection of the mind, brain, and psychoactive drugs. Specifically, his research investigates the effects of DMT on memory, and how we can harness these effects to treat memory-based disorders such as PTSD and substance-use disorders. He has also focused on optimizing methodology in psychedelic science more broadly.
Marcus et al. (2025): https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22808