Novel Neurobiological Approaches to Anxiety-Related Disorders: Clinical and Neuroimaging Investigations of Psilocybin and Ketamine-Based Interventions
University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) September 9, 2025 Jacob Cohen
Anxiety and trauma-related disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD), often respond poorly to conventional pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy. Recent clinical trials suggest that psychedelic substances and ketamine can produce rapid and sustained effects by modulating neural networks responsible for emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility. This dissertation presents five studies examining the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and ketamine across different anxiety-related conditions using clinical and neuroimaging methods.