Neuroplasticity research published in 2025 (page 2)

Psilocybin as a fast-acting and long-lasting antidepressant for adolescence: Proposing NeuroD1 as a biomarker of its long-term plasticity

Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy October 30, 2025 Rubén García‐cabrerizo, Itziar Beruete-Fresnillo, Pedro Bergas-Cladera et al. 3 citations

Adolescent depression is a significant public health concern, yet treatment options remain limited, particularly due to age- and sex-related differences in antidepressant efficacy. This study explored for the first time the potential antidepressant-like response of psilocybin in adolescence by examining acute, repeated and persistent effects in Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes, as measured...

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118720 Psilocybin Neurogenesis Neuroplasticity Antidepressant +6

Neuropharmacology of halogenated DMT analogs: psychoplastogenic and antidepressant properties of 5-Br-DMT, a psychedelic derivative with low hallucinogenic potential

Molecular Psychiatry October 21, 2025 Pol Puigseslloses, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Berta Fumàs et al. 1 citation

Current first-line antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), often present a delayed onset of action and fail to effectively treat a large proportion of patients, leaving a gap in the treatment of mood disorders. Psychedelics have recently emerged as promising alternatives due to their ability to produce fast-acting antidepressant effects through neuroplastic...

DOI: 10.1038/s41380-025-03308-2 Full text Neuroplasticity Antidepressant Neuropharmacology Psychopharmacology +10

Understanding Neuroplasticity Induced by Tryptamines (UNITy): Understanding Neuroplasticity Induced by Tryptamines: Rewiring Maladaptive Memories in Hazardous Drinking with Memory Reactivation and Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

Open Science Framework October 20, 2025 Natalia Fernandez‐Vinson, Roger Atkins, Marcus J. Glennon et al. preprint

This study examines the existence and mechanistic underpinnings of lasting neural, cognitive, and behavioural plasticity in response to N-N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in a hazardous drinking population. It combines behavioural, neuroimaging, ecological momentary and qualitative data to gain a holistic understanding of potential mechanisms of therapeutic change following DMT. Primarily, we test...

DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/s56me Neuroplasticity Alcohol use disorder Addiction Cognition +7

MDMA in Psychiatry: From PTSD to emerging indications, safety, and future directions

Psychedelics October 14, 2025 Mingming Zhao, Jianjun Yang, Kenji Hashimoto

MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy,” “molly”), is a distinctive entactogen that reverses the serotonin (5-HT) transporter to increase synaptic 5-HT, while also engaging catecholaminergic and oxytocinergic pathways. In clinical trials, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has yielded substantial improvements in treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although regulatory...

DOI: 10.61373/pp025i.0035 MDMA Anxiety Neuroplasticity Cognition +5

LSD: Mechanisms and relevance to the treatment of depression

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 10, 2025 Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Thomas Delannay et al. 3 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions worldwide, affecting over 350 million people. Standard treatments, primarily antidepressants targeting serotonin, noradrenaline, and/or dopamine, are based on the monoamine hypothesis, which links depression to imbalances in these neurotransmitters. A sizable fraction of patients, however, does not get enough...

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106407 Major depressive disorder Serotonergic Anxiety Neuroplasticity +10

Psilocybin’s effect on human brain synaptic plasticity

Research Square October 10, 2025 Gitte M. Knudsen, Annette Johansen, Pontus Plavén-sigray et al. preprint

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 experience shapes this effect. Fifteen...

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7469144/v1 Full text

Psychedelic compounds directly excite 5-HT2A layer V medial prefrontal cortex neurons through 5-HT2A Gq activation

Translational Psychiatry October 6, 2025 Gavin P. Schmitz, Yi-Ting Chiu, Mia L. Foglesong et al. 13 citations

Psilocybin, and its active metabolite psilocin, have seen renewed interest due to studies suggesting potential therapeutic utility. 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A receptors (5-HT 2A Rs) are primary mediators of the psychoactive effects of psychedelics in animals and humans, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging identified...

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03611-0 Full text Neuroplasticity Prefrontal cortex Population Intracellular +9

Neurobiological and Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin in Psychiatric Disorders

Journal of Pharma Insights and Research October 5, 2025 M Loganathan, A Saravanakumar, P. Parthiban et al.

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 psychotherapeutic context is associated with...

DOI: 10.69613/thv1dn30 Default mode network Psilocybin Neuroplasticity Context archaeology +12

Psychedelics Reverse the Polarity of Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity in Cortical-Projecting Claustrum Neurons

eNeuro October 1, 2025 Tanner L. Anderson, Artin Asadipooya, Pavel I. Ortinski 3 citations

Psychedelic drugs have garnered increasing attention for their therapeutic potential in treating a variety of psychiatric diseases, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. The claustrum (CLA), a brain area with remarkable interconnectivity to frontal cortices, has recently been shown to have a dense population of serotonin 2 receptors (5-HT2Rs) that are activated by...

DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0047-25.2025 Full text Neuroplasticity Excitatory postsynaptic potential Long-term potentiation Claustrum +12

Changing your mind: neuroplastic mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of psychedelics in depression, PTSD, and addiction

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry October 1, 2025 Marta L.c. Palhas, Rémi Corne, Raymond Mongeau 4 citations

After years of restrictions due to concerns about their potentially harmful effects, research on psychedelics has entered a new era. Increasing attention has been directed toward their immense therapeutic potential, particularly for psychiatric disorders. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have consistently demonstrated that psychedelic treatments produce therapeutic effects within hours of...

DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111533 Neuroplasticity Addiction Serotonergic Synaptogenesis +10

Meditation, psychedelics, and brain connectivity: A randomized controlled resting-state fMRI study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine in a meditation retreat.

Imaging Neuroscience September 29, 2025 Klemens Egger, Daniel Meling, Firuze Polat et al. 1 citation

Meditation, psychedelics, and brain connectivity: A randomized controlled resting-state fMRI study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine in a meditation retreat.

DOI: 10.1162/imag.a.907 Full text N-dimethyltryptamine Neuroplasticity Meditation Mindfulness +17

Mechanisms of neuroplasticity induced by permeable serotonergics

September 27, 2025 A. N. Fedorov

Major depression affects about 280 million people worldwide and costs around 326 billion dollars per year in the United States, though the standard medications take 2-3 months to take effect, so faster and longer-lasting treatments are needed.Serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, DMT or ayahuasca, LSD, and mescaline can reduce depression and anxiety symptoms after only one or two doses,...

DOI: 10.58445/rars.3131 Neuroplasticity Central nervous system Neural activity

Discovery of Highly Selective 5-HT2A Agonists Using Structure-Guided Design

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry September 25, 2025 Tyler G. Fenske, J. M. T. Mckee, Natalie G. Cavalco et al.

With a resurgence in interest in psychedelics as rapid-acting and durable neuroplastic therapies, there is a critical need to develop more selective 5-HT 2A agonists to investigate the basic neurobiological mechanisms of psychedelics. Here, we show that selectivity for 5-HT 2A over the closely related 5-HT 2C receptor can be leveraged using structure-based design to target residue L123 2.53 in...

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01855 Full text Neuroplasticity Steric effects Agonist Functional selectivity +13

Co-Boost: boosting and guiding neuroplasticity by combining ketamine with neurofeedback-assisted learning—towards an individualised and integrated pharmaco-psychotherapy for cocaine addiction: study protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, single-centre trial

Trials September 25, 2025 Anna Trippel, Ladina P Gubser, Etna Engeli et al. 1 citation

BACKGROUND: Cocaine is the most frequently used stimulant worldwide, with increasing consumption rates in Europe. Cocaine use is associated with great harm to individuals and society. As of today, psychotherapeutic interventions for cocaine use disorder (CUD) demonstrate only modest effect sizes, and no pharmacotherapy has been approved due to gaps in understanding the disease. However, a novel...

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-025-08982-9 Ketamine Neuroplasticity Boosting machine learning Protocol science +5

Effect of esketamine and etomidate anesthesia on neuroplasticity in electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant depression.

World Journal of Psychiatry September 19, 2025 Guo-Guang Zhao, Jing Zhao, Yan Kong et al.

Background: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has a poor response to clinical treatment. Patients with TRD do not respond adequately to standard antidepressants. Even after receiving a full dose and sufficient duration of combined antidepressant therapy, significant improvement is still difficult to achieve. At present, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains a clinically effective method...

DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i9.109458 Full text Depression Esketamine Neurological function Etomidate +2

Emerging mechanisms of psilocybin-induced neuroplasticity

TIPS - Trends in Pharmacological Sciences September 16, 2025 Sonia Sonda, Diana Pendin, Stefano Comai et al. 11 citations

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-HT 2A ) receptor activation, emerging evidence reveals a more...

DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2025.08.012 Full text

Microdosing Psychedelics to Restore Synaptic Density in Schizophrenia.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences September 14, 2025 Jacopo Sapienza, Marco Spangaro, Stefano Comai et al. 2 citations

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 matter of fact, microglia are overactive...

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26188949 Full text Neuroplasticity Psilocybin Microdosing Sv2a +9

Hypoxia, Psychedelics, and Terminal Lucidity: A Perspective on Neuroplasticity and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science September 12, 2025 Junjie Zhang, Xiubo Du, Xinying Li et al.

Hypoxia and psychedelics, despite their distinct origins, both induce altered states of consciousness and promote neuroplasticity, suggesting a shared underlying mechanism relevant to neuropsychiatric treatment and neurological recovery. Terminal lucidity, the transient resurgence of cognitive function in late-stage dementia, highlights the brain's latent capacity for rapid reorganization, a...

DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00440 Full text Neuroplasticity Acute intermittent hypoxia Hypoxia therapy Neuropsychiatric disorders +2

Neural Pattern of Chanting-Driven Intuitive Inquiry Meditation in Expert Chan Practitioners.

Behavioral Sciences September 5, 2025 Kin Cheung George Lee, Hin Hung Sik, Hang Kin Leung et al.

Intuitive inquiry meditation (Can-Hua-Tou) is a unique mental practice which differs from relaxation-based practices by continuously demanding intuitive inquiry. It emphasizes the doubt-driven self-interrogation, also referred to as Chan/Zen meditation. Nonetheless, its electrophysiological signature remains poorly characterized. We recorded 128-channel EEG from 20 male Buddhist monks (5-28...

DOI: 10.3390/bs15091213 Full text Brain plasticity Long-term meditators Chan/zen meditation Zen practice +21

Neuroplasticity and Neuro-Generation: The Promise of Psychedelics in Dementia Care

Psychoactives September 2, 2025 Kerem Kemal Soylemez, Emma Marie de Boo, Aysil Susuzlu et al. 2 citations

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 and LSD, when treating various...

DOI: 10.3390/psychoactives4030031 Neuroplasticity Dementia

Studies