How Neuroplasticity Is Shaping the Next Generation of Psychiatric Medicines
May 13, 2026
Dr. Aaron Koenig, Chief Medical Officer at Delix Therapeutics, sheds light on a new class of medicines designed to promote neuroplasticity without the hallucinogenic effects associated with psychedelics. On this episode of Power to the Patients, Koenig explains to host Brandon Li how neuroplasticogens could provide scalable treatments for depression and other serious brain disorders, why separating plasticity from psychedelic experiences matters for clinical development, and how emerging biomarkers such as qEEG may help measure brain changes in patients. The conversation spans scientific rationale, clinical challenges, and long term potential of plasticity-based therapeutics in psychiatry and neurology.
In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li speaks with Dr. Aaron Koenig, Chief Medical Officer at Delix Therapeutics, about the emerging field of neuroplasticogens and the effort to develop medicines that promote neuroplasticity without the hallucinogenic effects associated with psychedelics.
The conversation explores how neuroplasticity plays a central role in many brain disorders. Conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease involve disruptions in the connections between neurons. By restoring or strengthening those connections, neuroplasticogens may help address the underlying biology of these illnesses rather than simply managing symptoms.
Koenig explains how Delix Therapeutics builds on foundational discoveries in psychedelic science while pursuing a different therapeutic strategy. The company focuses on compounds that stimulate structural neuroplasticity while avoiding the perceptual and behavioral effects traditionally associated with psychedelics. This approach could simplify clinical development and make treatments easier to scale in real world healthcare systems.
Koenig also discusses the practical challenges of measuring plasticity in living patients. Since researchers cannot directly observe synaptic changes in the human brain, Delix uses surrogate measures such as quantitative EEG to track patterns of neural activity associated with plasticity. Early findings show signatures that resemble those seen in highly effective treatments like electroconvulsive therapy, offering a potential biomarker for target engagement.
Finally, the episode looks at the broader implications for drug development. Psychedelics have captured significant attention in recent years, but their clinical use presents logistical and regulatory hurdles. Neuroplasticogens could offer a path toward scalable treatments that patients can take at home while still harnessing the therapeutic potential of plasticity-based approaches.
Throughout the discussion, Koenig emphasizes the urgency of continued investment in neuroscience. As populations age and the prevalence of neurological and psychiatric disorders increases, developing safe and accessible treatments for brain diseases remains one of the most important challenges in medicine.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why neuroplasticity is emerging as a central target in psychiatric drug development
- How neuroplasticogens aim to deliver therapeutic effects without hallucinogenic experiences
- The scientific differences between psychedelics, dissociatives, empathogens, and plasticity-promoting compounds
- How quantitative EEG may serve as a biomarker for measuring neuroplasticity in patients
- Why scalable, take-home medications are essential for treating brain disorders at population scale
- The role of structural brain connectivity in depression, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative diseases
- How drug developers design compounds that promote plasticity while avoiding safety risks
- Why continued investment in neuroscience research is critical as neurological disease prevalence rises
About the Guest:
Dr. Aaron Koenig is Chief Medical Officer at Delix Therapeutics, where he leads the clinical development of novel neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutics for psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Koenig is a trained psychiatrist and geriatric psychiatrist with extensive experience in clinical research across central nervous system diseases. Over the course of his career he has led and contributed to clinical trials focused on a range of CNS targets, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease as well as psychiatric disorders.
Before joining Delix Therapeutics, Koenig held roles across academia and industry, including work at Massachusetts General Hospital where he treated patients with neurodegenerative disorders while collaborating with neurology teams on translational research. His work focuses on advancing treatments that address the underlying biology of brain diseases while remaining practical and scalable for patients and healthcare systems.
Episode Resources: