Festive Symposium 2026: The Brain's Construction of Reality

The programme on 7 December 2026 (10am to 6.40pm GMT) includes David Nutt on what psychedelic altered states reveal about the brain's construction of reality; Aikaterini Fotopoulou on how interoception and the body shape experience; Nilli Lavie on attention, sensory gating and why the brain edits reality; Quinton Deeley on hallucinations and delusions as a continuum of psychosis; Christopher Timmermann Slater on how short-acting psychedelics deconstruct and reconstruct the mind; a panel on what altered states teach about the healthy brain; a talk on mental imagery and the neuroscience of imagination; and Dominique Makowski on visual illusions, cognition and reproducible neuroscience. BNA President Narender Ramnani opens and closes the day, which also includes the BNA prize giving and networking. Fees range from £15 to £130, with reduced rates for BNA members.