Juliano Hallak
Clinical Researcher and Psychopharmacologist
Papers
Trials
Key Impact
Notable for pioneering clinical, neuroimaging and public‑health research on ayahuasca and DMT, including early reports of rapid antidepressant effects and investigations of neurobiological mechanisms.
Background & Research
Juliano E. Hallak is a clinician‑researcher and psychopharmacologist whose work has substantially contributed to contemporary scientific understanding of classic serotonergic psychedelics—particularly ayahuasca and N,N‑dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Working with multidisciplinary teams and international collaborators, Hallak has combined clinical trials, neuroimaging (including SPECT and functional connectivity analyses), neurometabolic measurements and large‑scale survey methods to study therapeutic potential, mechanisms of action and public‑health implications of ritual and clinical psychedelic use. His contributions include preliminary clinical reports of the antidepressant effects of a single ayahuasca dose in recurrent depression, studies of the post‑acute ‘after‑glow’ relating neurometabolic and connectivity changes to enhanced mindfulness capacities, and participation in research characterising cortical dynamics under DMT.