The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Argel Aguilar-Valles, Dhiral Kot, Vern Lewis et al.
Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a multifactorial and heterogeneous disorder that affects around 280 million individuals worldwide, with approximately 80 million experiencing treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Neuronal hypotrophy and axon hypomyelination in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are hallmark features of MDD, highlighting the need for treatments that address these...
Journal of 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...
Cell Reports
March 28, 2023
Vern Lewis, Emma M. Bonniwell, Janelle K. Lanham et al.
129 citations
Hallucinations limit widespread therapeutic use of psychedelics as rapidly acting antidepressants. Here we profiled the non-hallucinogenic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) analog 2-bromo-LSD (2-Br-LSD) at more than 33 aminergic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). 2-Br-LSD shows partial agonism at several aminergic GPCRs, including 5-HT2A, and does not induce the head-twitch response (HTR) in...
Journal of Neurochemistry
June 9, 2022
Vern Lewis, Brandon Rodrigue, Emma J. Arsenault et al.
Ketamine has shown antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) resistant to first‐line treatments and approved for use in this patient population. Ketamine induces several forms of synaptic plasticity, which are proposed to underlie its antidepressant effects. However, the molecular mechanism of action directly responsible for ketamine's antidepressant effects...