Rafael Torre
Clinical Psychopharmacologist
Papers
Trials
Key Impact
Notable for experimental human pharmacology studies elucidating the subjective and receptor-mediated effects of entactogens and related stimulants such as MDMA, 2C‑B and mephedrone.
Background & Research
Rafael de la Torre is a clinical psychopharmacologist whose work focuses on the human pharmacology and subjective effects of entactogens and substituted stimulants. His publications and trial involvement include observational and experimental studies of 2C‑B, comparative human pharmacology of mephedrone versus MDMA, and mechanistic investigations of MDMA’s acute psychological effects. He has contributed to bridging controlled human psychopharmacology with psychometric, genetic and receptor‑mechanism approaches.
De la Torre’s research has addressed both population‑level effects (for example, mood changes in polydrug ecstasy users) and receptor and genotype moderators of drug response — notably studies implicating the 5‑HT2A receptor in specific MDMA‑induced changes in emotional processing, and work examining how serotonin transporter genotype (l‑allele homozygosity) relates to MDMA’s effects on depressive mood ratings in female users. Methodologically, his contributions span observational human studies, controlled pharmacological challenge designs, psychometric assessment and incorporation of genetic and receptor‑blockade probes to parse mechanisms underlying subjective and affective drug effects.