psychoplastogens Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Beyond the trip with non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens in neuropsychiatry

Interest in ketamine and psilocybin as potential therapies for mood disorders has surged since around 2010. A groundbreaking 2000 study at Yale revealed the powerful antidepressant effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic. Unlike traditional antidepressants which can take weeks or months to have an impact, a single dose of ketamine led to significant improvements in depressive symptoms in as little as 72 hours.

Structural neuroplasticity and non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens

This revelation, which Kurt Rasmussen, chief scientific officer of Delix, describes as a “watershed development” in neuropsychiatry, sparked a new understanding of the brain’s capacity for rapid structural neuroplasticity. Essentially, drugs like ketamine can prompt the brain to form new neural connections quickly, a process known as synaptogenesis. “Neuron damage is a component of many different disease states,” Rasmussen noted. “And the discovery of ketamine’…

Delix Therapeutics launches phase 1 study for novel neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutic

[vrx123/Adobe Stock]

Boston-based Delix Therapeutics has won regulatory approval to commence a study of the non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogen DLX-001. Psychoplastogens are a class of drugs that have the potential to promote neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections between neurons. That capability could enable improvements in conditions such as depression, anxiety and addiction.

DLX-001 offers potential for a range of conditions, according to Retsina Meyer, head of corporate strategy at Delix. “The aperture for indications for psychoplastogens is broad and is even broader for our non-hallucinogenic compounds of this class,” Meyer said. DLX-001 holds promise for conditions where cortical dendritic/synaptic atrophy plays a role in the pathology. Such atrophy is involved in conditions ranging from major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease…

The future of rapid and enduring neuropsychiatric treatments: From psychedelics to non-hallucinatory psychoplastogens

Serotonin molecule [Vladimir/Adobe Stock]

Neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Almost one billion people globally — roughly one out of eight individuals — live with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common, according to the World Health Organization. Yet current therapies such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) offer limited efficacy and come with undesirable side effects. Additionally, they may take weeks to produce noticeable benefits.

These challenges have sparked interest in alternative treatments, including psychedelics and psychoplastogens, for mental health treatment, as noted by Dr. Kurt Rasmussen, Delix‘s chief scientific officer. “There are now a lot of researchers looking at psychoplastogens as a way to help remodel those circuits and treat depression and anxiety mor…