Psychedelic therapy research shows rapid antidepressant effects and long-lasting mental health benefits worldwide

Professor Gregor Hasler has revealed discoveries in neuroplasticity and rapid antidepressant mechanisms reshaping international approaches to psychiatric care

In a recent Psychedelics interview – a title of the Genomic Press – Professor Hasler explained how his work with psychedelic substances has shown that compounds such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can reorganise brain function in ways that conventional treatments have not been able to achieve.

Unlike traditional antidepressants, which often require weeks to act on the patient – and even then, may provide only temporary relief. Hasler asserts that psychedelic-assisted therapies have produced improvements that have lasted for months or even years after just a small number of supervised sessions.

“These treatments allow the brain to rewire itself, breaking free from the rigid patterns that characterise depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction,” said Professor Hasler, who is the chair of psychiatry at the University of Fribourg and director of the Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory.

His team identified metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) as a biomarker for neuroplasticity and for nicotine dependence. He described this as a key example of how basic molecular research can be translated into clinical benefit.

Their studies of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter systems have, he argued, transformed scientific understanding of mood disorders and opened therapeutic avenues for conditions previously regarded as untreatable.

Switzerland has long been recognised as a world centre of psychiatric innovation, having contributed benzodiazepines, antidepressants and the original discovery of LSD. Professor Hasler continues this tradition as President of the Swiss Society for Drug Safety in Psychiatry and as a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, where he works to ensure that psychedelic treatments are developed to rigorous safety standards.

Tracing his career from psychoanalytic training in Switzerland to neuroscience research at the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States, where his mentors encouraged him to study rapid-acting substances. This combination of psychological and neuroscientific perspectives has enabled him to bridge different traditions in psychiatry.

Recognised internationally, awards such as the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and the Robert Bing Award from the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences have acknowledged his contributions to the field. His book ‘Higher Self: Psychedelics in Psychotherapy’ sets out his vision for the future of mental healthcare.

Professor Hasler stressed that psychedelic therapies should gain introduction into mainstream medicine but with caution.

“It is essential to distinguish between scientific research and wholesale legalisation,” he said. He called for evidence-based approaches that maximise therapeutic benefit while minimising harm. His current work includes clinical studies in depression, trauma-related disorders and post-stroke rehabilitation. Furthermore he is studying advanced neuroimaging research into how psychedelics affect consciousness and brain function.

He credited his father – a mathematician and economist who identified depression as a leading cause of human suffering and economic cost – with inspiring his career. He described his ultimate aim as the development of treatments that not only relieve symptoms but foster recovery and personal growth.

For further reading please visit: 10.61373/pp025k.0032