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Bruna Cuccurazzu

9 papers in the library · 166 citations · publishing 2018-2026

Papers

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Feasibility and Tolerability of Psilocybin for Phantom Limb Pain.

Journal of Pain August 1, 2026 Jon G Dean, Ethan Hurwitz, T. Furnish et al.

Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a refractory condition defined by pain experienced in a missing limb. Psilocybin, a classical serotonergic psychedelic drug, can alleviate various treatment-resistant disorders but has scantly been investigated for chronic pain. This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical pilot trial (NCT05224336) tested the feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary...

Correction to "Next-Generation MDMA Analogue SDMA: Pharmacological and Metabolic Insights".

ACS Chemical Neuroscience March 4, 2026 Nina Kastner, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Selina Hemmer et al. correction

Correction 1: Table 1.The analyses were conducted using the correct data, and all results, interpretations, and conclusions in the paper remain fully accurate.The issue is limited to the presentation of values in the table.Correction 2: p 4733, second paragraph, 1 st sentence.Thigmotaxis was evaluated to assess potential anxiety-like effects induced by the compounds.When comparing the tested...

Transforming Amino Acids into Serotonin 5-HT 2A Receptor Ligands Using Photochemistry

Journal of the American Chemical Society December 16, 2025 J.O.S. Beckett, Ryan Buzdygon, Steven Nguyen et al. 1 citation

A light-induced cyclization via a radical spin-center shift process that results in the direct functionalization of the indole ring at the C4-position is developed into a practical method for the synthesis of medicinally active, ring-constrained tryptamine analogs. Amino acids were coupled to tryptamine and irradiated with UV light to produce a library of lactams bridging the C3- and...

Next-Generation MDMA Analogue SDMA: Pharmacological and Metabolic Insights

ACS Chemical Neuroscience December 2, 2025 Nina Kastner, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Selina Hemmer et al.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, shows promise in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in breakthrough status. However, concerns regarding MDMA's abuse potential and cytotoxicity have sparked interest in developing safer analogues with similar therapeutic benefits. This study investigated the pharmacological properties of...

DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5c00782 (opens in new tab) MDMA Norepinephrine transporter Monoamine neurotransmitter Dopamine transporter +8

Discovery of Highly Selective 5-HT2A Agonists Using Structure-Guided Design

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry September 25, 2025 Tyler G. Fenske, J. M. T. Mckee, Natalie G. Cavalco et al.

With a resurgence in interest in psychedelics as rapid-acting and durable neuroplastic therapies, there is a critical need to develop more selective 5-HT 2A agonists to investigate the basic neurobiological mechanisms of psychedelics. Here, we show that selectivity for 5-HT 2A over the closely related 5-HT 2C receptor can be leveraged using structure-based design to target residue L123 2.53 in...

Impaired mnemonic pattern separation associated with PTSD symptoms paradoxically improves with regular cannabis use

npj Mental Health Research April 24, 2025 Jacob Ross, Bruna Cuccurazzu, Dylan Delmar et al. 1 citation

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with poor hippocampal function and disrupted pattern recognition. Cannabis use is highly prevalent in individuals with PTSD, yet the impact on these cognitive functions is poorly understood. Participants (n = 111) with a range of PTSD symptoms with and without regular cannabis use completed the mnemonic similarity task. We hypothesized that...

Identification of 5-HT2A receptor signaling pathways associated with psychedelic potential.

Nature Communications December 15, 2023 Jason Wallach, Andrew B. Cao, Maggie M. Calkins et al. 153 citations

Abstract Serotonergic psychedelics possess considerable therapeutic potential. Although 5-HT 2A receptor activation mediates psychedelic effects, prototypical psychedelics activate both 5-HT 2A -Gq/11 and β-arrestin2 transducers, making their respective roles unclear. To elucidate this, we develop a series of 5-HT 2A -selective ligands with varying Gq efficacies, including β-arrestin-biased...

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44016-1 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Psychedelics Hallucinogens Psychoactive compounds Mind-altering substances +13

Identification of 5-HT 2A Receptor Signaling Pathways Responsible for Psychedelic Potential

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 31, 2023 Jason Wallach, Andrew B. Cao, Maggie M. Calkins et al. 11 citations preprint

Summary Serotonergic psychedelics possess considerable therapeutic potential. Although 5-HT 2A receptor activation mediates psychedelic effects, prototypical psychedelics activate both 5-HT 2A -Gq/11 and β-arrestin2 signaling, making their respective roles unclear. To elucidate this, we developed a series of 5-HT 2A -selective ligands with varying Gq efficacies, including β-arrestin-biased...

Adult Cellular Neuroadaptations Induced by Adolescent THC Exposure in Female Rats Are Rescued by Enhancing Anandamide Signaling.

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology November 1, 2018 Bruna Cuccurazzu, Erica Zamberletti, Cristiano Nazzaro et al.

In rodent models, chronic exposure to cannabis' psychoactive ingredient, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, during adolescence leads to abnormal behavior in adulthood. In female rats, this maladaptive behavior is characterized by endophenotypes for depressive-like and psychotic-like disorders as well as cognitive deficits. We recently reported that most depressive-like behaviors triggered by adolescent...