The center, which McLean leaders describe as the first of its kind in the United States, is funded by a $20 million grant from the Baszucki Group, a philanthropic organization founded by Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki and his family. The center will expand clinical care, research and education, with particular attention to ketogenic therapies. It will also anchor a new Global Network to Advance Metabolic Psychiatry.

The Baszucki family’s interest grew out of the experience of David Baszucki’s son Matthew, now 30, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After years of psychiatric hospitalizations, treatment with numerous providers and trials of more than a dozen medications, he began a ketogenic diet with guidance from Harvard psychiatrist Chris Palmer. Matthew Baszucki has said his symptoms improved after about four months: he slept again and stopped experiencing episodes of mania and delusion.

Palmer, who will help with the new initiative, said the diet brought a striking improvement for this patient, but stressed that results vary. Ketogenic therapy is difficult for some people to maintain and does not produce remission for everyone. Palmer said it should complement, not replace, established psychiatric care such as medication and therapy.

A ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates. It can prompt the body to enter ketosis, using fat rather than glucose as its primary fuel. The diet has long been used to treat epilepsy, and researchers are investigating whether metabolic changes may also affect brain processes involved in psychiatric conditions. Evidence for these uses is still developing, and medical professionals have called for more rigorous research. The diet has also been associated with risks including heart and kidney complications and nutrient deficiencies.

Dr. Dost Ongur, a McLean psychiatrist who will lead the center, said staff expect to see as many as 75 new patients in its first year, with hundreds in later years. Alongside ketogenic approaches, researchers plan to examine other treatments, including GLP-1 medications. Some studies suggest those drugs may have potential in treating alcohol use disorder.

McLean already operates a separate program focused on metabolic and mental health, which will continue independently of the new center. Palmer’s Wellesley practice is expected to provide medical education and training for the initiative.

Ongur said the work responds to an unmet need among people who do not find relief through conventional treatments or experience disabling side effects. Most insurers do not currently cover metabolic therapies for psychiatric conditions, he said, but stronger evidence could eventually help establish their role in care.