Molecular Pharmacology
2026
Lindsay P. Cameron, Alaina M Jaster, Raul A Ramos et al.
3 citations
2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) is a phenethylamine psychedelic with high affinity for 5-HT2 receptors. In 2022 and 2023, the US Drug Enforcement Administration proposed to place DOI, along with a similar compound, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine, in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act based on their psychoactivity and alleged abuse potential. Here, we describe the history of...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
October 15, 2025
Cassandra J. Hatzipantelis, Lindsay P. Cameron, Min Liu et al.
Exogenously administered psychedelics produce both rapid and long-lasting effects on neuroplasticity and behavior, but it is currently unclear if endogenously produced psychedelics can elicit similar effects. There have been relatively few studies on the role of endogenous psychedelics in health and disease, perhaps owing to the difficulty in quantifying their levels and manipulating their...
Nature Neuroscience
September 1, 2025
Isak K Aarrestad, Lindsay P. Cameron, Ethan M Fenton et al.
Nonhallucinogenic psychoplastogens, such as tabernanthalog (TBG), are being developed as potentially safer, more scalable alternatives to psychedelics for promoting neuronal growth and treating various brain conditions. Currently, it is unclear whether 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) receptors and immediate early gene (IEG) activation have a role in the neuroplasticity-promoting effects of...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
April 9, 2025
Odilia D Lu, Katrina White, Kendall Raymond et al.
18 citations
preprint
ABSTRACT Studies reporting novel therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs are rapidly emerging. However, the reproducibility and reliability of these findings could remain uncertain for years. Here, we implemented a multi-institutional collaborative approach to define the robust and replicable effects of the psychedelic drug psilocybin on mouse behavior. Five laboratories performed the same...
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
November 8, 2023
Lindsay P. Cameron, Joseph Benetatos, Vern Lewis et al.
88 citations
Serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, have garnered significant attention in recent years for their potential therapeutic effects and unique mechanisms of action. These compounds exert their primary effects through activating serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, found predominantly in cortical regions. By interacting with these receptors, serotonergic psychedelics induce alterations in...
Science
February 16, 2023
Maxemiliano V. Vargas, Lee E. Dunlap, Chunyang Dong et al.
467 citations
Decreased dendritic spine density in the cortex is a hallmark of several neuropsychiatric diseases, and the ability to promote cortical neuron growth has been hypothesized to underlie the rapid and sustained therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Activation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 2A receptors (5-HT2ARs) is essential for psychedelic-induced cortical plasticity, but it is currently...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
February 1, 2023
Lindsay P. Cameron, Seona D Patel, Maxemiliano V. Vargas et al.
113 citations
Psychedelic compounds have displayed antidepressant potential in both humans and rodents. Despite their promise, psychedelics can induce undesired effects that pose safety concerns and limit their clinical scalability. The rational development of optimized psychedelic-related medicines will require a full mechanistic understanding of how these molecules produce therapeutic effects. While the...
Molecular Psychiatry
May 25, 2021
Ju Lu, Michelle Tjia, Brian Mullen et al.
87 citations
Abstract Psychological stress affects a wide spectrum of brain functions and poses risks for many mental disorders. However, effective therapeutics to alleviate or revert its deleterious effects are lacking. A recently synthesized psychedelic analog tabernanthalog (TBG) has demonstrated anti-addictive and antidepressant potential. Whether TBG can rescue stress-induced affective, sensory, and...
Elife
March 2, 2021
Lindsay P. Cameron
5 citations
A citizen science approach to research has shown that the improvements in mood and cognition associated with psychedelic microdosing are likely due to a placebo effect.
Nature
2021
Lindsay P. Cameron, Robert J Tombari, Ju Lu et al.
468 citations
The psychedelic alkaloid ibogaine has anti-addictive properties in both humans and animals1. Unlike most medications for the treatment of substance use disorders, anecdotal reports suggest that ibogaine has the potential to treat addiction to various substances, including opiates, alcohol and psychostimulants. The effects of ibogaine-like those of other psychedelic compounds-are long-lasting2,...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 23, 2020
Lindsay P. Cameron, Angela Nazarian, David E. Olson
112 citations
Anecdotal reports suggest that the administration of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic compounds on a chronic, intermittent schedule – a practice known as psychedelic microdosing – is becoming increasingly popular among young adults due to its purported ability to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety while improving cognitive function and promoting social interaction. Using an...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
March 4, 2019
Lindsay P. Cameron, Charlie J. Benson, Brian C. Defelice et al.
163 citations
-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The behavioral and cellular effects of this dosing regimen were distinct from those induced following a single high dose of the drug. We found that chronic, intermittent, low doses of DMT produced an antidepressant-like phenotype and enhanced fear extinction learning without impacting working memory or social interaction. Additionally, male rats treated with DMT on...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
July 23, 2018
Lindsay P. Cameron, David E. Olson
114 citations
Though relatively obscure, N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an important molecule in psychopharmacology as it is the archetype for all indole-containing serotonergic psychedelics. Its structure can be found embedded within those of better-known molecules such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Unlike the latter two compounds, DMT is ubiquitous, being produced by a wide variety...
Cell Reports
June 1, 2018
Calvin Ly, Alexandra C. Greb, Lindsay P. Cameron et al.
1,158 citations
Atrophy of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in the pathophysiology of depression and related disorders. The ability to promote both structural and functional plasticity in the PFC has been hypothesized to underlie the fast-acting antidepressant properties of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine. Here, we report that, like ketamine, serotonergic psychedelics are capable of...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
April 17, 2018
Lindsay P. Cameron, Charlie J. Benson, Lee E. Dunlap et al.
168 citations
Depression and anxiety disorders are debilitating diseases resulting in substantial economic costs to society. Traditional antidepressants often take weeks to months to positively affect mood and are ineffective for about 30% of the population. Alternatives, such as ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic capable of producing hallucinations, and the psychoactive tisane ayahuasca, have shown great...