In vivo PET imaging of 5HT2A and AMPA receptors in the brain

Approximately 280 million people worldwide are affected by depression. Currently available antidepressants do not always have the desired effect and are associated with undesirable side effects. The development of safer and faster-acting antidepressants is therefore necessary. The funded project aims to characterize molecular and functional effects of novel antidepressants in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare them with those of psychedelic substances. For this purpose, the synthesis of two PET tracers will be established at the institute of Prof. Herfert. Tracers are radioactively labeled substances that allow certain processes in the body to be tracked using imaging techniques such as PET. Specifically, we are interested in the effect of the psychedelic substances psilocybin and ketamine, which have recently shown a rapid antidepressant effect in patients.