International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 9, 2026
C Agnorelli, J Peill, D Kurtin et al.
Abstract Background Clinical studies have shown that ketamine and classic psychedelics can produce robust and rapid antidepressant effects after a single or a few administrations. However, the neurobiological mechanisms driving these long-lasting changes remain unclear. A leading framework proposes that both drug classes induce sustained increases in neuroplasticity, potentially reshaping...
Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
March 21, 2026
Claudio Agnorelli, Joseph Peill, Gabriela Sawicka et al.
We investigated ketamine's neuroplastic effects in healthy human subjects using integrated Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures before and 1-8 days after a single psychedelic dose of ketamine (1 mg/kg, intravenous). Eleven male participants underwent two PET/MRI scans with [11C]-UCBJ (synaptic density/plasticity), 1H-MRS (glutamate and GABA) and...
Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
September 18, 2025
Vito F. Palmisano, Claudio Agnorelli, Shirin Faraji et al.
Psychedelic compounds can induce rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressant benefits. Understanding the role of their hallucinatory effects is crucial for shaping the future trajectory of antidepressant drug development. Photoswitchable compounds targeting the 5-HT2AR offer precise spatio-temporal control over the activation of different downstream pathways. In this work, we computationally...
Molecular Psychiatry
January 14, 2025
Claudio Agnorelli, Alessandra Cinti, Giovanni Barillà et al.
8 citations
Ketamine, a dissociative compound, shows promise in treating mood disorders, including treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Despite its therapeutic potential, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ketamine's effects are not fully understood. This study explored acute neurophysiological changes induced by subanesthetic doses of ketamine in BD patients with...
International review of neurobiology
2025
A M Wingert, Claudio Agnorelli, Joseph Peill et al.
1 citation
Depressive disorders continue to pose a major clinical challenge worldwide, particularly given the high prevalence and increasing number of treatment-resistant cases. Over the past decade, advances in research have elucidated the antidepressant potential of psilocybin and other 5-HT₂A receptor agonists in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD)....
arXiv Preprint Archive
November 29, 2024
Claudio Agnorelli, Meg J. Spriggs, Kate Godfrey et al.
32 citations
Neuroplasticity, the ability of the nervous system to adapt throughout an organism's lifespan, offers potential as both a biomarker and treatment target for neuropsychiatric conditions. Psychedelics, a burgeoning category of drugs, are increasingly prominent in psychiatric research, prompting inquiries into their mechanisms of action. Distinguishing themselves from traditional medications,...
Biochemistry
February 7, 2024
Vito F. Palmisano, Claudio Agnorelli, Andrea Fagiolini et al.
5 citations
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Renewed scientific interest in psychedelic compounds represents one of the most promising avenues for addressing the current burden of mental health disorders. Classic psychedelics are a group of compounds that exhibit structural similarities to the naturally occurring neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). Acting on the 5-HT type 2A receptors (HT...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 12, 2023
Rayyan Zafar, Maxim Siegel, Rebecca Harding et al.
95 citations
Psychedelic therapy has witnessed a resurgence in interest in the last decade from the scientific and medical communities with evidence now building for its safety and efficacy in treating a range of psychiatric disorders including addiction. In this review we will chart the research investigating the role of these interventions in individuals with addiction beginning with an overview of the...
ChemRxiv
February 7, 2023
Vito F. Palmisano, Claudio Agnorelli, David Erritzøe et al.
1 citation
Classic psychedelics are compounds that target the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2A (5-HT2AR), inducing profound changes in consciousness. Although these compounds most closely resemble the natural neurotransmitter serotonin, their therapeutic and psychoactive action is still not well understood. Therefore, a quantitative atomistic description of their interaction in the 5-HT2AR receptor is...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2023
Ellen James, David Erritzøe, Tiffanie Benway et al.
16 citations
Due to their potential impact on mood and wellbeing there has been increasing interest in the potential of serotonergic psychedelics such as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of Part A of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profile of escalating doses of SPL026 (DMT fumarate)...
ChemRxiv
Vito Federico Palmisano, Claudio Agnorelli, Andrea Fagiolini et al.
Renewed scientific interest in psychedelic compounds represents one of the most promising avenues for addressing the current burden of mental health disorders. Classic psychedelics are a group of compounds that exhibit structural similarities to the naturally occurring neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT). Acting on the 5-HT type 2A receptors (5-HT2AR), psychedelics induce enduring...