2023
5-MeO-DMT modifies innate behaviors and promotes structural neural plasticity in mice
Jefferson S, Gregg I, Dibbs M, Liao C, Wu H, Davoudian P, Woodburn S, Wehrle P, Sprouse J, Sherwood A, Kaye A, Pittenger C, Kwan A. 5-MeO-DMT modifies innate behaviors and promotes structural neural plasticity in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023, 48: 1257-1266. PMID: 37015972, PMCID: PMC10354037, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01572-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMouse medial frontal cortexEarly phase clinical studiesDendritic spine densityHead-twitch responseDose-dependent increaseStructural neural plasticityMedial frontal cortexSpine densityClinical studiesFrontal cortexLong-term effectsDendritic spinesMental illnessNeural plasticitySpine formationPatient accessSubjective effectsNeural consequencesPotential therapeuticsSerotonergic psychedelicsAnxiety symptomsNeural mechanismsUltrasonic vocalizationsElevated ratesMiceCompetitive and cooperative games for probing the neural basis of social decision-making in animals
Wang H, Kwan A. Competitive and cooperative games for probing the neural basis of social decision-making in animals. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2023, 149: 105158. PMID: 37019249, PMCID: PMC10175234, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105158.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Psychedelics and Neural Plasticity: Therapeutic Implications
Grieco S, Castrén E, Knudsen G, Kwan A, Olson D, Zuo Y, Holmes T, Xu X. Psychedelics and Neural Plasticity: Therapeutic Implications. Journal Of Neuroscience 2022, 42: 8439-8449. PMID: 36351821, PMCID: PMC9665925, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1121-22.2022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTherapeutic effectNeural plasticityUnmet clinical needFunctional neural plasticityBrain-wide circuitsPsychedelic drugsClinical trialsBasic neuroscience questionsReceptor binding sitesTherapeutic implicationsBrain disordersClinical researchPsychedelic effectsBrain functionClinical needEffects of psychedelicsDrugsNeural mechanismsFuture studiesPsychedelicsGene expressionNeuroscience questionsClinicTrialsThe neural basis of psychedelic action
Kwan A, Olson D, Preller K, Roth B. The neural basis of psychedelic action. Nature Neuroscience 2022, 25: 1407-1419. PMID: 36280799, PMCID: PMC9641582, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01177-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSerotonin 2A receptor agonistThalamocortical functional connectivityDownstream molecular signaling pathwaysDrug discoveryMolecular signaling pathwaysReceptor agonistSerotonin receptorsAssociation cortexPsychedelic actionSustained effectSubcortical regionsBasic neurobiologyFunctional connectivityTranscriptional changesPsychoactive moleculesSignaling pathwaysNeural mechanismsStructural plasticityNeural basisPsychedelic drugsChemistryPsychedelicsEnduring effectMoleculesAgonists