Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42436129›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2026

Brain-targeted epigenetic effects of two emerging psychoplastogens: ketamine & MDMA.

Moira G Semple, Sarah E Mennenga, Ryan Smith, Varun B Dwaraka, Baruch Rael Cahn, Joseph Tafur, David M Rabin, Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Candace R Lewis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Moira G SempleSchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1194-4292
Sarah E MennengaSchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Ryan SmithTruDiagnostic, Lexington, KY, 40503, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-8753
Varun B DwarakaTruDiagnostic, Lexington, KY, 40503, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9033-3092
Baruch Rael CahnDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Joseph TafurModern Spirit, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
David M RabinThe Board of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Berra Yazar-KlosinskiFreedom Biosciences, Corte Madera, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5972-006X
Candace R LewisSchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. candace.lewis@asu.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychoplastogen compounds such as ketamine and MDMA have shown therapeutic promise for mood and trauma-related disorders, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects remain poorly understood. Here, we applied a Brain-Epigenome-Wide Association Study (BEWAS) targeting brain-relevant genes to examine DNA methylation changes following treatment. Pre- and post-treatment blood (ketamine, N = 20) and saliva (MDMA, N = 16) samples were collected from clinical trial participants. Treatment effects were assessed using repeated-measures linear mixed-effects models accounting for inter-individual baseline methylation differences, followed by gene- and network-level analyses. Ketamine and MDMA were associated with 405 and 346 significantly altered genes, respectively, alongside enrichment of 169 and 183 functional networks. Across both compounds, altered loci converged on pathways related to neuroplasticity and neuroimmune regulation. Together, these findings provide evidence that ketamine and MDMA induce peripheral epigenetic changes, highlighting their capacity to engage molecular pathways relevant to psychiatric health.

Indexed as

BrainDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticHallucinogensKetamineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineAdultFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMaleYoung AdultHallucinogensKetamineN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine

Identifiers

PMID42436129
PMCPMC13639065

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.