ACS Chemical Neuroscience
May 6, 2026
Maxemiliano V. Vargas, Cassandra J. Hatzipantelis, Lee E. Dunlap et al.
Recent clinical evidence suggests that racemic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) might be useful for treating a range of neuropsychiatric diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, concerns about its abuse potential stemming from its monoamine releasing properties have hampered its clinical development. Thus, safer analogues of racemic MDMA with...
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 Communications
September 30, 2025
Cassandra J. Hatzipantelis, Min Liu, A. H. G. Love et al.
2 citations
Abstract Psilocybin increases social connectedness and has strong clinical transdiagnostic efficacy for mental illness, making it a candidate treatment to reduce maternal disconnect, anxiety, and blunted affect seen in peripartum mood disorders. However, the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in peripartum mood disorders has not been investigated. We used a social stress model to examine the...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Cassandra J. Hatzipantelis, David E. Olson, Danielle S. Stolzenberg
Abstract Background Peripartum mood disorders (PMDs) are a major public health concern; they present in 20% of birthing parents and are responsible for 1 in 4 maternal deaths in the United States. The psychedelic antidepressant psilocybin (PSI) increases social connectedness, self-compassion, and has strong clinical transdiagnostic efficacy for mental illness – making it a candidate treatment...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
April 14, 2025
Jeremy R Tuck, Lee E. Dunlap, Yara A Khatib et al.
32 citations
Decreased dendritic spine density in the cortex is a key pathological feature of neuropsychiatric diseases including depression, addiction, and schizophrenia (SCZ). Psychedelics possess a remarkable ability to promote cortical neuron growth and increase spine density; however, these compounds are contraindicated for patients with SCZ or a family history of psychosis. Here, we report the...
Annu Rev Physiol
November 6, 2023
Cassandra J. Hatzipantelis, David E. Olson
28 citations
Psychedelics are quite unique among drugs that impact the central nervous system, as a single administration of a psychedelic can both rapidly alter subjective experience in profound ways and produce sustained effects on circuits relevant to mood, fear, reward, and cognitive flexibility. These remarkable properties are a direct result of psychedelics interacting with several key neuroreceptors...