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SIF 4th Cohort Fellows - L. Sophie Gullino, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Research Project:
Depression affects nearly half of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, leading to more severe cognitive and functional impairments. These patients do not sufficiently benefit from currently available antidepressants, highlighting the need for new interventions that tackle both depression and the biological processes driving disease progression. Recently, the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin has gained considerable interest as a potential treatment for depression, producing rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in several clinical populations, including treatment-resistant patients. We hypothesise that in Alzheimer’s disease, psilocybin will not only treat depressive symptoms but could also slow disease progression through its anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic properties. This project aims to provide a preclinical proof of concept for the use of psilocybin in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, we will investigate psilocybin’s ability to modulate key inflammatory and neuroplasticity-related markers, and restore synaptic function. We will also explore whether these biological changes are associated with improvements in behavioural symptoms and underlying disease pathology.
https://eutopia-university.eu/english-version/sif-4th-cohort-fellows-l-sophie-gullino-vrije-universiteit-brussel
