bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
July 20, 2026
Neil K. Savalia, Ling-Xiao Shao, Cory A. Knox et al.
preprint
SUMMARY How psychedelics act on cortical dendrites to produce long-lasting structural plasticity remains poorly understood. Here, we characterize the effects of psilocybin on dendritic calcium dynamics in pyramidal tract neurons of the mouse medial frontal cortex. Psilocybin transiently increases calcium event rates in apical dendritic tufts over a time course that parallels the drug’s...
Translational Psychiatry
July 20, 2026
Yong-Yu Yin, Si-Rui Sun, Hui-Ying Zhang et al.
Ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist, produces rapid and sustained antidepressant actions, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The CX 3 CL1/CX 3 CR1 signaling is closely related to mood disorders, and this study aims to investigate its role in ketamine’s antidepressant actions. We pharmacologically (AZD8797, a selective CX 3 CR1...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
July 18, 2026
Aziel Eliab
preprint
Post-Perturbation Integrative Neuroplasticity (PPIN) is a descriptive framework for sustained, non-pathological cognitive reorganization following significant perturbation events such as severe trauma, near-death experiences, or extreme stress. Unlike acquired savant syndrome, which typically produces narrow, domain-specific skill emergence, PPIN describes broad cross-domain integration,...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
July 17, 2026
Bartosz Niciński, Magdalena Kloc, Ewa Wiench, Natasza Millan, Aleksandra Blicharz, Wojciech Kozdraś, Lidia Kozaczko, Gabriela Szewczyk, Elżbieta Bukowczan, Alicja Zając, Damian Broda, Alicja Benecka
preprint
Major depressive disorder is a highly burdensome psychiatric condition worldwide, and many patients do not achieve full remission after standard monoaminergic antidepressant treatment. This has contributed to growing interest in rapid-acting antidepressant interventionstargeting neurobiological pathways beyond traditional serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine mechanisms. This review...
Translational Psychiatry
July 15, 2026
Annette Johansen, Pontus Plavén-sigray, Martin K Madsen et al.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin have been linked to enhanced neuroplasticity and symptom relief in affective disorders, but the neurobiological mechanisms and impact of environmental context remain unclear. Here, we tested whether a single dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) alters synaptic density in healthy individuals and whether setting-dependent subjective experience shapes this effect. Fifteen...
Translational Psychiatry
July 11, 2026
Moira G. Semple, Sarah E. Mennenga, Ryan Smith et al.
Psychoplastogen compounds such as ketamine and MDMA have shown therapeutic promise for mood and trauma-related disorders, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects remain poorly understood. Here, we applied a Brain-Epigenome-Wide Association Study (BEWAS) targeting brain-relevant genes to examine DNA methylation changes following treatment. Pre- and post-treatment blood (ketamine, N...
Brain and Cognition
July 9, 2026
Stephanie Clarke, Sonia Crottaz-Herbette, Simo Frestadius et al.
Several neuroimaging studies demonstrated that spiritual/religious beliefs and practices rely on the same brain regions as secular cognition. Several reviews shaped the framework within which religious and secular cognition interacts, emphasizing the need for a precise definition of religiousness and spirituality. Christian faith presents a well-defined theological context, characterized by...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
July 9, 2026
Alqassem Y. Hakami
Background Substance use disorders (SUDs) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remain a major global health challenge, marked by high relapse rates and limited long-term effectiveness of existing treatments. Ketamine, a glutamatergic modulator with rapid neuroplastic effects, has emerged as a novel intervention for TRD and is increasingly investigated as an adjunctive treatment for...
Psychiatry
July 6, 2026
Rehana K Naik Olson, Lawrence Wichlinski
Neuroplasticity refers to the tendency of the nervous system to change structurally and functionally due to experience. The adult visual cortex was historically presumed rigid and unchangeable. However, recent research has identified residual neuroplasticity in the visual cortex extending into adulthood, which may be mediated by environmental factors including visual deprivation. Eagleman and...
Journal of Biological Chemistry
July 2026
Priyanka D Pinky, Warren D Smith, Miles T Wiley et al.
The growing perception that marijuana is safe during pregnancy has led to a marked increase in prenatal cannabis use, raising concerns about its long-term effects on brain development and cognition. This study investigated the consequences of prenatal delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure on hippocampal circuit function, synaptic plasticity, and memory in adolescent offspring using a...
FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry
July 1, 2026
Morgan S. Hardy, S. William Li, Samuel T. Wilkinson
Over the past two decades, ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant, especially among patients with treatment-resistant depression. As an N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine has reshaped the understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of depression treatment. Ketamine induces a transient state of enhanced neuroplasticity and likely...
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
July 1, 2026
Stephen Rush, Henry A Nasrallah
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents an unmet challenge, accounting for disproportionate morbidity, disability, and healthcare burden in depression. Limitations of monoaminergic antidepressants have prompted a conceptual shift toward models emphasizing impaired neuroplasticity, synaptic dysfunction, and network dysregulation. This expert review synthesizes preclinical, translational,...
Medical Science of Ukraine
June 30, 2026
Viacheslav Zaika, Yan Tytarenko
Relevance. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and a significant proportion of patients suffer from treatment-resistant forms of the disorder. An innovative approach involves the use of ketamine and esketamine, which are capable of inducing a “window of neuroplasticity” – a period of enhanced synaptogenesis and the formation of new neural connections. Theoretically,...
Asian Journal of Medical Sciences
June 30, 2026
Raja Suhail Shounthoo, Ajaiz Rasool, Athar Un Nisa Quraishi et al.
Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic introduced in the 1960s, has re-emerged as a versatile therapeutic agent extending beyond its traditional perioperative role. Its rapid antidepressant action in treatment-resistant depression and efficacy in acute and chronic pain syndromes have driven what is termed the “ketamine renaissance.” Unlike conventional monoaminergic antidepressants, ketamine...
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
June 30, 2026
Lucie Ladislavová, Viera Kútna, Kristýna Mazochová et al.
Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine) is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a nonselective serotonergic agonist acting predominantly at 5-HT2A/C receptors, with substantial binding to 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B receptors. Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small, sub-perceptual dose, typically 5% to 10% of a full recreational dose, to improve mood, creativity, and focus without...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 28, 2026
Yingjie Du, Xiangting Zhao, Yishan Yao et al.
BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder are often comorbid in humans. Psilocybin reportedly has beneficial therapeutic effects on depression, possibly by promoting neuroplasticity. PTSD is associated with the dysregulation of neuroplasticity in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We hypothesized that psilocybin might reduce fear memory by...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
June 24, 2026
Ramiro Solis
preprint
The brain’s ability to rewire itself, neuroplasticity, declines dramatically with age. Children learn faster; adults get stuck in patterns; older adults struggle to adapt. The reasons for this decline remain unclear. In a companion paper (Solis, 2026a), I critically evaluated the broad hypothesis that N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) has endogenous physiological functions. The evidence was found to...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
June 20, 2026
Agnieszka Bysiek, Izabela Szpręgiel, Adam Wojtas et al.
Psychedelics have emerged as a promising novel therapeutic approach for major depressive disorder (MDD). Altered activity and structural atrophy of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and limbic structures are associated with depressive disorders. Psilocybin may reverse the loss of synaptic connections and restore the function of these brain regions. In this study, we investigated the effects...
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
June 20, 2026
Zhen Xuen Brandon Low
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent social-communication deficits, cognitive rigidity, and atypical sensory processing. Current pharmacological treatments, including risperidone and aripiprazole, provide only limited symptomatic relief and do not address the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Converging evidence implicates dysregulated serotonergic signaling,...
Clinical drug investigation
June 13, 2026
Angel Prabakar
Ketamine has revolutionized the treatment of mood disorders by offering rapid antidepressant effects, particularly in individuals with treatment-resistant depression. Unlike traditional monoaminergic antidepressants, ketamine acts primarily through antagonism of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, initiating a cascade of glutamatergic signaling that promotes synaptic plasticity,...