TOMMASO BARBA

Tommaso Barba
Research assistant

TITLE
A New Summer of Love: long-term effects of psychedelic drugs on sexual functioning and satisfaction in healthy and depressed subjects.

ABSTRACT
Can psychedelics have an effect on sexual functioning (SF) and satisfaction? Anecdotal and qualitative evidence suggests this might be the case, however this has never been formally tested. While sexual functioning satisfaction is generally regarded as an important aspect of human wellbeing, sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of various mental health issues, including depression. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of psychedelics on self-reported SF, including clinical and naturalistic settings of psychedelic use. This is the first study to quantitatively investigate the effects of psychedelics on SF and in this talk we will share the method and results.

BIOGRAPHY
Tommaso Barba is a research assistant and upcoming PhD student at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, leading research on psychedelics for almost 10 years. Tommaso is researching the potential of psychedelic drugs for well-being and human flourishing, now focusing on the long-term effects of psychedelics on sexual and relationship satisfaction in healthy and depressed people. Other research interests include understanding the brain effects of short-acting psychedelics, like 5-MeO-DMT, and investigating the potential role of psychedelic drugs in depression and pain management. He has a background in neuroscience and psychoanalysis and completed cum laude a Master of Research in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience from Maastricht University.