Abstract Background The head-twitch response (HTR) is a serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT 2A R) dependent behavioral correlate of serotonergic psychedelic action in rodent models. Although cortical 5-HT 2A Rs have been implicated in HTRs, the contribution of specific cortical circuits to this behavior remains poorly defined, with a few reports implicating the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the...
Recent evidence suggests that psychedelics hold promise in treating a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, highlighting the need to better understand their broader behavioral effects. Many animal-based behavioral assays related to mood, like anxiety and despair-like behavior, highly depend on locomotor activity. However, the influence of psychedelics on movement, especially in emotionally...
Chemical scienceJune 18, 2025Rajasree Kundu, Samsuzzoha Mondal, Akshay Kapadia et al.4 citations
Lipids, key constituents of cell-membranes, are the first responders to cell signals. At the crux of spatiotemporal dynamics of lipid-signaling responses are phosphoinositides. Indeed, phosphoinositides like phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2), present in the inner-leaflet of eukaryotic cell-membranes, form the link between signal reception and downstream signal-transmission. In...
There has been a recent renewal of interest in the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelics. Here, we uncover the essential role of ventral hippocampus (vHpc) GABAergic interneurons in the anxiolytic effect evoked by the serotonergic psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). Integrating anatomical, pharmacological, and genetic approaches, we show that 5-HT2A receptors in the...
Psychedelic compounds that target the 5-HT 2A receptor are reported to evoke psychoplastogenic effects, including enhanced dendritic arborization and synaptogenesis. Transcriptional regulation of neuronal plasticity-associated genes is implicated in the cytoarchitectural effects of serotonergic psychedelics, however, the transcription factors that drive this regulation are poorly elucidated....
The early stress of Maternal Separation (MS) contributes to the establishment of adult psychopathology. The serotonergic (5-HT) system is implicated during this temporal window in mediating the development of mood-related behaviors. MS is reported to evoke altered 5-HT2A receptor function in adulthood. However, the ontogeny of altered 5-HT2A receptor responsivity following MS remains unknown....
Neuroscience LettersAugust 22, 2008Shanker Jha, Rajeev Rajendran, Kimberly A Fernandes et al.
Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is reported to be a target of antidepressants, drugs of abuse and animal models of depression, suggesting a role for this form of structural plasticity in psychopathology. Serotonergic neurotransmission, which is implicated in several psychiatric diseases, has been reported to regulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Amongst the serotonergic receptors, the...
The influence of 5-HT receptor agonists on the expression of BDNF in brain was determined. Administration of a hallucinogenic 5-HT2A /2C receptor agonist, but not a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, resulted in a significant but differential regulation of BDNF mRNA levels in hippocampus and neocortex. In the hippocampus, the 5-HT2A /2C receptor agonist significantly decreased BDNF mRNA expression in the...