Valerie Curran

Valerie Curran is a UK-based psychopharmacologist and neuroscientist notable for rigorous experimental and clinical research on the behavioural, cognitive and neural effects of MDMA, ketamine and classical psychedelics. Her work spans naturalistic and experimental studies of ecstasy/MDMA (including effects on cooperative behaviour, trustworthiness and neurocognitive function), mechanistic and clinical investigations of ketamine (including modulation of reward processing and trials of adjunctive ketamine with relapse-prevention psychological therapy for alcohol use disorder), and multimodal neuroimaging studies characterising the neural correlates of the LSD experience and its effects on emotional responses to music.

Beyond primary research, Curran has contributed influential reviews and harm-reduction literature (for example, on ketamine-related urological harms and the broader harms associated with psychoactive substances) and has been active in methodological and policy discussions around conducting and reporting psychedelic research. Her interdisciplinary portfolio integrates psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, clinical trial methods and public-health perspectives, positioning her as a key figure in translating basic experimental findings into therapeutic and regulatory contexts.