Mihai Avram, Priv.-Doz., PhD
Translational Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck
- Senior Researcher
- 0000-0003-2171-8313
- Google Scholar Profile
- ResearchGate Profile
Group Leader, Psychedelic Neuroimaging Lab
Education
2004 – 2008 Diploma in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
2008 – 2010 MSc, Clinical Psychology, Counseling and Psychotheraphy, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
2011 – 2014 PhD in Human Biology, Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich (Germany)
2025 Habilitation – Venia legendi in Psychology, University of Lübeck (Germany)
Professional Experience
2014 – 2020 Postdoctoral Researcher, Departments of Nuclear Medicine, Neuroradiology, and Psychiatry, Technical University Munich, School of Medicine (Germany)
2021 – 2025 Senior Researcher (Postdoctoral Researcher), Translational Psychiatry, University of Lübeck (Germany)
2025 – present Group Leader, Psychedelic Neuroimaging Lab
My research explores how non-ordinary states of consciousness reshape large-scale brain systems. Focusing on neuromodulatory compounds such as psychedelics, I employ translational neuroscience approaches to investigate how transient changes in brain function can initiate lasting neuroplastic adaptations. By combining structural and functional MRI with computational modeling, I aim to translate brain network dynamics into enduring improvements in mental health.
Keywords: psychedelics, neuroplasticity, functional and structural MRI, monoamine neurotransmitters, large-scale brain networks
- Ramaekers, J. G., Mallaroni, P., Mason, N. L., & Avram, M. (2025). Not all psychedelics are created equal. Nature Mental Health, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00551-y
- Avram, M., Borgwardt, S. (2025). Psychedelics for Major Depression – From Controlled Research Settings into Broader Clinical Use. Cell Reports Medicine, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102361
- Avram, M., Fortea, L., Wollner, L., Coenen, R., Korda, A., Rogg, H., Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Ley, L., Radua, J., Liechti, M. E., Borgwardt, S. (2025). Large-scale brain connectivity changes following the administration of lysergic acid diethylamide, d-amphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine. Molecular Psychiatry, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02734-y
- Avram, M., Müller, F., Preller, K. H., Razi, A., Rogg, H., Korda, A., Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Ley, L., Liechti, M. E., Borgwardt, S. (2024). Effective Connectivity of Thalamocortical Interactions Following d-Amphetamine, LSD, and MDMA Administration. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.010
- Avram, M., Müller, F., Rogg, H., Korda, A., Andreou, C., Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Ley, L., Liechti, M. E., Borgwardt, S. (2022). Characterizing thalamocortical (dys)connectivity following d-amphetamine, LSD, and MDMA administration. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.04.003
Grants
FAPESP/BAYLAT Travel Grant: Multimodal approaches in experimental psychology and clinical neuroscience and psychiatry, São Paulo, Brasilien (Nov. 2018)
DAAD Travel Grant: 72nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry, San Diego, USA (May 2017)
Scholarships
PhD Scholarship Bavarian Research Foundation (Bayerische Forschungsstiftung; 2011 – 2014)