UNC Libraries
May 21, 2026
Gavin P. Schmitz
Psychedelics are seeing renewed interest due to their potential as therapeutic tools; however, despite promising clinical findings, the underlying signaling mechanisms and brain-region specific effects of psychedelics remain unclear. This dissertation first describes a comprehensive study aimed at understanding the on and off-target actions of ~40 diverse psychedelic substances representing...
Translational Psychiatry
October 6, 2025
Gavin P. Schmitz, Yi-Ting Chiu, Mia L. Foglesong et al.
13 citations
Psilocybin, and its active metabolite psilocin, have seen renewed interest due to studies suggesting potential therapeutic utility. 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A receptors (5-HT 2A Rs) are primary mediators of the psychoactive effects of psychedelics in animals and humans, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging identified...
Neuron
July 15, 2025
Manish K. Jain, Ryan H. Gumpper, Samuel T. Slocum et al.
42 citations
The classical psychedelics (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline exert their psychedelic effects via activation of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor (5-HT2AR). Recent clinical studies have suggested that classical psychedelics may additionally have therapeutic potential for many neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, migraine and cluster headaches, drug...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
September 26, 2023
Yi-Ting Chiu, Wei Wang, Pierre Llorach et al.
15 citations
preprint
ABSTRACT Psychedelic drugs like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin have emerged as potentially transformative therapeutics for many neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraine, and cluster headaches. LSD and psilocybin exert their psychedelic effects via activation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (HTR2A). Here we provide...
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
November 15, 2022
Gavin P. Schmitz, Yi-Ting Chiu, Gabriele M. König et al.
15 citations
preprint
Summary Psilocin, the active compound in Psilocybe sp . mushrooms, is a serotonergic psychedelic that has recently gained renewed interest due to its potential as a therapeutic tool. Despite promising clinical findings, the underlying signaling mechanisms and brain region-specific effects of psilocin and other psychedelic drugs remain unclear. Psilocin, like other psychedelic compounds, is an...
bioRxiv Preprint Server
December 9, 2021
Gavin P. Schmitz, Manish K. Jain, Samuel T. Slocum et al.
preprint
Serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) signaling is essential for the actions of classical psychedelic drugs. In this study, we examined whether random sequence variations in the gene (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) encoding the 5-HT2AR affect the signaling of four commonly used psychedelic drugs. We examined the in vitro pharmacology of seven non-synonymous SNPs,...