bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 13, 2026
Claudio Agnorelli, Joseph Peill, Danielle Kurtin et al.
preprint
Neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to reorganise its structure and function, is a transdiagnostic feature across psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and a putative mechanism of action for pharmacological interventions. [11C]-UCBJ positron emission tomography (PET), which quantifies synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) density, offers the most direct in vivo measure of human...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 9, 2026
Claudio Agnorelli, Joseph Peill, Danielle 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 & 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...
Neuroscience Insights
October 8, 2024
Matthew B. Wall, Rebecca Harding, Natalie Ertl et al.
3 citations
Psychedelic therapies are an emerging class of treatments in psychiatry with great potential, however relatively little is known about their interactions with other commonly used psychiatric medications. As psychedelic therapies become more widespread and move closer to the clinic, they likely will need to be integrated into existing treatment models which may include one or more traditional...
Molecular Psychiatry
September 1, 2023
Matthew B. Wall, Rebecca Harding, Rayyan Zafar et al.
39 citations
Psychedelic therapy (PT) is an emerging paradigm with great transdiagnostic potential for treating psychiatric disorders, including depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and potentially others. 'Classic' serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which have a key locus of action at the 5-HT2A receptor, form the main focus of this...