Marco Bonaso

Department of Translational Research and New Surgical and Medical Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.

2 papers in the library · 13 citations · publishing 2025-2026

Papers

Uncovering Psychedelics: From Neural Circuits to Therapeutic Applications

Pharmaceuticals January 19, 2025 Marco Bonaso, Letizia Biso, Benedetta Zucchini et al. 13 citations

Psychedelics, known for their cultural and spiritual roles, are emerging as promising therapeutic agents by profoundly altering consciousness, emotional processing, mood, and neural plasticity. They modulate brain connectivity, particularly by enhancing functional connections between sensory areas while reducing connections in associative regions like the default mode network, thereby decreasing rigidity and increasing plasticity. The relaxed beliefs under psychedelics (REBUS) model and changes in cortico-striatal thalamo-cortical loops help explain these effects. Clinical trials of MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD show significant efficacy in treating treatment-resistant PTSD, depression, and anxiety with favorable safety profiles. However, linking molecular actions to clinical outcomes remains a critical gap needing further research.

DOI: 10.3390/ph18010130 MDMA Psilocybin Default mode network Psychology +5

Ayahuasca and Its Main Component N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) for the Treatment of Mental Disorders: Mechanisms of Action, Clinical Studies, and Tools to Explore the Human Mind

Biomedicines February 25, 2026 Alice Melani, Giorgia Papini, Marco Bonaso et al.

Psychedelics are gaining renewed scientific interest as breakthrough therapies for mental disorders, with ayahuasca and its active component DMT showing particular promise. DMT acts primarily as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor partial agonist, while 5-MeO-DMT has higher affinity for 5-HT1A receptors; both foster neuroplasticity and reorganize brain networks involved in perception, cognition, and mood. Current evidence offers an optimistic outlook for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder, with four phase II studies of 5-MeO-DMT and one of DMT for TRD, plus two phase II studies of DMT fumarate for MDD. Evidence for other mental disorders remains preliminary.

DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines14030506 Ayahuasca Neuroplasticity Addiction Hallucinogen +10