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Varun B. Dwaraka

4 papers in the library · 7 citations · publishing 2024-2026

Papers

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Brain-targeted epigenetic effects of two emerging psychoplastogens: ketamine & MDMA

Translational Psychiatry July 11, 2026 Moira G. Semple, Sarah E. Mennenga, Ryan Smith et al.

Psychoplastogen compounds such as ketamine and MDMA have shown therapeutic promise for mood and trauma-related disorders, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects remain poorly understood. Here, we applied a Brain-Epigenome-Wide Association Study (BEWAS) targeting brain-relevant genes to examine DNA methylation changes following treatment. Pre- and post-treatment blood (ketamine, N...

Epigenetic aging and DNA methylation biomarker changes following ketamine treatment in patients with MDD and PTSD: a pilot study.

Translational Psychiatry October 31, 2025 Kristin L Dawson, Athena May Jean M. Carangan, Jessica Klunder et al. 2 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are debilitating psychiatric conditions associated with poor health outcomes similarly observed in non-pathological aging. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with demonstrated rapid reduction in symptoms associated with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) and PTSD. Ketamine's effects on...

Brain-epigenome wide association study (BEWAS) on the effects of two emerging psychedelics: ketamine & MDMA

bioRxiv Preprint Server July 3, 2025 Moira G. Semple, Sarah E. Mennenga, Ryan Smith et al. 1 citation preprint

Psychedelic compounds such as ketamine and MDMA have shown therapeutic promise for mood and trauma-related disorders, yet their molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study applied a Brain-Epigenome-Wide Association Study (BEWAS) to assess DNA methylation changes in brain-enriched genes following treatment. Pre- and post-treatment blood (ketamine, N = 20) and saliva (MDMA, N = 16) samples...

Ketamine treatment effects on DNA methylation and Epigenetic Biomarkers of aging

medRxiv Preprint Server September 10, 2024 Kristin L Dawson, Athena May Jean M. Carangan, Jessica Klunder et al. 4 citations preprint

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are debilitating psychiatric conditions associated with poor health outcomes similarly observed in non-pathological aging. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with demonstrated rapid reduction in symptoms associated with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) and PTSD. Ketamine’s effects on...