Rebecca Harding is a 4th-year PhD student at the Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, where she works on the UNITy project. Prior to her PhD, she was a Research Scientist at Clerkenwell Health, working in the psychedelic pharmaceutical industry. She completed her MSc in Translational Neuroscience at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, where her research used fMRI to investigate the differential effects of SSRIs and psilocybin in treating Major Depressive Disorder. Her current research focuses on how psychedelics alter neural function to drive therapeutic effects, with a particular emphasis on mechanisms underlying addiction. She applies naturalistic paradigms and network neuroscience methods in fMRI to elucidate the neurobiological changes that underpin lasting clinical outcomes.
Colloquium Presentation: 17 October 2025, 3:30-5pm (Room G17, Mood Disorder Centre, Sir Henry Wellcome Building)
Neural correlates of the therapeutic effects of psychedelics
Abstract
Psychedelics have demonstrated significant therapeutic potential across a range of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and addiction. Functional neuroimaging provides a unique window into the neural mechanisms underlying these clinical effects, revealing how psychedelics alter brain function both acutely and over the longer term to mediate lasting therapeutic change. Using resting-state and task-based fMRI paradigms, studies have identified consistent patterns of altered connectivity and activity that may reflect transdiagnostic mechanisms of symptom relief and recovery. This talk will review the current evidence on the neurobiological basis of psychedelics’ clinical efficacy, highlight key challenges in neuroimaging research, and discuss the critical questions that remain unanswered.