Changing the Brain
What Drugs and Learning Reveal About Plasticity

November 23, 2026, 14:30–18:15

Collegium Helveticum, Meridian Hall

Convened by

Alex Kwan
Senior Fellow 2026–2027

Fritjof Helmchen
Associate Fellow

Peter Rupprecht
University of Zurich, CH

Details

Venue & accessibility info: Collegium Helveticum , Meridian Hall

This is a public event. Participation is free of charge. No registration is needed.

The event is followed by a small reception.

How does the brain adapt to change, and what determines whether those changes persist? This colloquium brings together researchers with different perspectives on neural plasticity to explore how novel experiences and drugs such as psychedelics reshape neural circuits. Through short talks and moderated discussions, participants will consider the mechanisms underlying different forms of plasticity and their lasting effects on brain function.

Program

14:30	Opening & welcome remarks By Alex Kwan and the Collegium’s directorate.
14:40	Opening the Plasticity Window with Psychiatric Drugs Session 1
	Cortical Signatures of Psychoactive Drugs Georg Keller Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH
	Drug Traces in the Brain: Psilocybin-Induced Synaptic Potentiation Linda Simmler University of Basel, CH
	Title tbd Torben Ott Humboldt University of Berlin, DE
	Moderated Q&A with the speakers
16:10	Coffee break
16:30	Learning and Flexibility in Brain Circuits Session 2
	Title tbd Carl Petersen EPFL, CH
	Title tbd Shuting Han University of Zurich, CH
	Title tbd Julijana Gjorgjieva Technische Universität München, DE
	Moderated Q&A with the speakers
18:00–18:15	Closing remarks Followed by a small reception. Fritjof Helmchen University of Zurich & Collegium Helveticum, CH