Psychiatric illness, particularly stress-related disorders including depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, presents a considerable health burden worldwide with high prevalence, disabling symptoms, and scant efficacy of available treatments. Chronic stress is a major contributor to the origin and development of these conditions, to the detrim...
Many neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, involve synaptic loss and atrophy of the prefrontal cortex. The rapid regrowth of cortical neurons has been hypothesized to explain the rapid and enduring therapeutic effects of psychedelics and the dissociative anesthetic ketamine. However, safety concerns related to hallucinogenic/dissociative propert...
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are re-emerging as credible options in psychological care amid a high global burden of mental ill-health and limited response to first-line treatments. Once marginal, psychedelics are now part of mainstream research and policy debate, while remaining illegal or tightly restricted in many jurisdictions. Classic and atypical comp...
Abstract Psychedelics such as psilocybin have been linked to enhanced neuroplasticity and symptom relief in affective disorders, but the neurobiological mechanisms and impact of environmen-tal context remain unclear. Here, we tested whether a single dose of psilocybin alters synap-tic density in healthy individuals and whether setting-dependent subjective ex...
A crystalline cocrystal of psilocin and psilocybin enhances exposure, neuroplasticity biomarkers, and functional activity, while adjunctive atypical antipsychotics modulate serotonergic signaling to mitigate 5-HT2B-linked safety concerns. Together, these inventions advance formulation, mechanistic selectivity, and translational biomarkersoffering a chemistr...
Psilocybin, an indoleamine alkaloid derived from various fungal species, is the subject of renewed, rigorous investigation for its therapeutic potential in psychiatry. This compound, a prodrug for the active metabolite psilocin, functions primarily as a partial agonist at the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Its administration within a structured psychotherap...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, is gaining attention for its rapid and sustained therapeutic effects in depression and other hard-to-treat neuropsychiatric conditions, potentially through its capacity to enhance neuronal plasticity. While its neuroplastic and therapeutic effects are commonly attributed to serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor activation, em...
Schizophrenia is a highly polygenic disease, and several genetic variants associated with the disease converge on altered synaptic homeostasis. In particular, the gene encoding complement component 4 (C4) showed the strongest association with schizophrenia, and this protein is involved in complement-dependent and microglia-mediated synaptic pruning. As a mat...
Introduction In recent years, psychiatry has witnessed a renaissance in the investigation of psychedelic compounds, a broad class of psychoactive substances that induce altered states of consciousness, often characterized by changes in perception, mood, and cognition, which were largely shelved following regulatory crackdowns in the 1970s. The renewed intere...
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex and debilitating condition affecting approximately 280 million people worldwide. Its heterogeneous nature makes it difficult to establish clinical treatment guidelines that address individual differences in treatment response. As a result, many individuals experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD) failing to...
Professor Gregor Hasler stands at the forefront of revolutionary psychedelic research and neuroplasticity studies, transforming our understanding of mental health treatment through groundbreaking scientific discoveries. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he directs the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Hasler has pioneered resea...
Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is characterised by cognitive decline, memory loss, and behavioural changes. Patients suffering from dementia often experience emotional distress, sadness and depression which also impacts the wellbeing of their caregivers. Recent research has explored the potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin...
This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of psilocybin and psilocybin-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the management of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The study aims to compare the effects of psilocybin-only therapy, CBT, and psilocybin-assisted CBT on depression symptoms, neurochemical markers, inflammatory mark...
Introduction: Recently, there has been a significant increase in interest in the use of psychedelics for various psychiatric conditions. Psilocybin is receiving particular attention as a psychoactive substance with significant therapeutic potential. Recent research focuses on its possible benefits in the treatment of major depressive disorders (MDD) and anor...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has emerged as a promising treatment for a range of mental health conditions, including anorexia nervosa. Recent insights from animal models and human imaging studies suggest psilocybin enhances cognitive flexibility and modifies reward processing - two core processes disrupted in anorexia nervosa. Both cognitive flexi...
Recent research into classical psychedelics, such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, has highlighted their therapeutic potential for mental health disorders. However, emerging evidence suggests their utility may extend beyond treatment into the realm of preventive medicine. This manuscript proposes a novel framework positioning psychedelics as agents of cellular a...
Serotonergic psychedelics, including the recreationally used psilocybin and LSD, have become promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression. While it is generally agreed that they exhibit their antidepressant effects by inducing rapid and sustained neuroplasticity, the molecular mechanisms responsible are widely debated. In ...
Recent advances in psychedelic research have renewed interest in their therapeutic potential for psychiatric disorders characterized by cognitive and behavioral rigidity. This review examines the rationale for using serotonergic psychedelics-particularly 5-HT2A receptor agonists such as psilocybin-in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs), including anorexi...
Psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, have garnered significant attention as potential therapeutic tools for treating substance use disorders (SUDs), such as those related to alcohol, nicotine, heroin (an opioid), or cocaine. Traditional treatments often fall short, leading to high relapse rates and an urgent need for innovative approaches. This article exp...
Psychedelics, derived from the Greek words "psyche" (soul) and "deloun" (revealing), are substances historically and currently considered "soul-revealing". Also termed hallucinogens due to their impact on sensory perception, they are further categorized into hallucinogens, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline; entactogens or em...
