Education

Purdue University, B.S.
Carnegie Mellon University, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Postdoctoral

News

In March 2023, Dr. Nichols appeared on a featured panel at SXSW with Dr. David Nichols, Dr. Rachel Yehuda, and Halimton Morris in a panel entitled: To trip or not to trip?

Dr. Nichols is now President of the International Society for Research on Psychedelics.

In June 2022, Dr. Nichols was named Co-Editor in Chief, along with Dr. Peter Hendrick, of the new journal: Psychedelic Medicine.

Dr. Nichols appeard at SXSW 2022 in a panel entitled: "Psychedelics, has Nature given us all we need?" along with Dr. Julie Holland and Dr. John McCorvy.

Dr. Nichols was interviewed by Frontline Genomcs about psychedelics and genomics.

In September, 2020, Dr. Nichols was elected "President Elect" of the International Society for Research on Psychedelics (ISRP).

Our most recent high profile publication deliniating the structure/function realtionships between psychedelics and anti-nflammatory and behavioral effects had a nice writeup in Fierce Biotech. Here is another on in the Psychedelic Review. 

Our work was featured in the EndPoints article "How do depressed rats respond to psychedelics? New data offer insight into the human experience."

Our publication "Psychedelics, but not ketamine, produce persistent antidepressant-like effects in a rodent experimental system for the study of depression" was chosen as an Editors Choice by ACS Chemical Neuroscience. As of May 2020 after only two months there are nearly 12,000 views!

According to a recent analysis performed by Clarivate Analytics and presented in LSU Research (2019-2020), Dr. Nichols was the most highly cited researcher in the state-wide LSU system in 2019!

Publications

Cummins BR, Billac GB, Nichols DE, Nichols C.D. (2025) 5-HT_2A receptors: Pharmacology and functional selectivity. Pharmacol Rev. 2025 Apr 23;77(4):100059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmr.2025.100059

Hibicke M, Billac G, Nichols C.D. (2024) Preadministration of Lorazepam Reduces Efficacy and Longevity of Antidepressant-Like Effect from a Psychedelic. Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle) 12;2(1):10-14. https://doi.org/10.1089/psymed.2023.0037

Flanagan, T.W., Foster, T.P., Galbato, T.E., Lum, P.Y., Louis, B., Song, G., Halberstadt, A.L. Billac, G.B., & Nichols C.D. (2024) Serotonin-2 receptor agonists produce anti-inflammatory effects through functionally selective mechanisms that involve suppression of disease-induced arginase 1 expression. ACS Pharmacol. Transl. Sci. Feb 9;7(2):478-492. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.3c00297

Dourron, H. M., Nichols, C. D., Simonsson, O., Bradley, M., Carhart-Harris, R., & Hendricks, P. S. (2023). 5-MeO-DMT: An atypical psychedelic with unique pharmacology, phenomenology & risk?. Psychopharmacology, 10.1007/s00213-023-06517-1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-023-06517-1

Aday, J.S., Barnett, B.S., Grossman, D., Murnane, K.S., Nichols, C.D., and Hendricks.. P.S. Psychedelic Commercialization: A Wide-Spanning Overview of the Emerging Psychedelic Industry. PsyMed. Sep 2023. 150-165. http://doi.org/10.1089/psymed.2023.0013

Hibicke, M., Kramer, H.M., & Nichols C.D. (2023). A single administration of psilocybin persistently rescues cognitive deficits caused by adolescent chronic restraint stress without long-term changes in synaptic protein gene expression in a rat experimental system with translational relevance to depression. PsyMed, 1.1. https://doi.org/10.1089/psymed.2022.0012

Wulff, A. B., Nichols, C. D., & Thompson, S. M. (2023). Preclinical perspectives on the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic actions of psilocybin in psychiatric disorders. Neuropharmacology, 231, 109504. 

Kelley, D. P., Albrechet-Souza, L., Cruise, S., Maiya, R., Destouni, A., Sakamuri, S. S. V. P., Duplooy, A., Hibicke, M., Nichols, C., Katakam, P. V. G., Gilpin, N. W., & Francis, J. (2023). Conditioned place avoidance is associated with a distinct hippocampal phenotype, partly preserved pattern separation, and reduced reactive oxygen species production after stress. Genes, brain, and behavior, e12840. Advance online publication. 

Guner, S., Akhayeva, T., Nichols, C. D., & Gurdal, H. (2022). The Ca²⁺/CaM, Src kinase and/or PI3K-dependent EGFR transactivation via 5-HT_2A and 5-HT_1Breceptor subtypes mediates 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction. Biochemical pharmacology, 206, 115317. 

Henningfield, J. E., Coe, M. A., Griffiths, R. R., Belouin, S. J., Berger, A., Coker, A. R., Comer, S. D., Heal, D. J., Hendricks, P. S., Nichols, C. D., Sapienza, F., Vocci, F. J., & Zia, F. Z. (2022). Psychedelic drug abuse potential assessment research for new drug applications and Controlled Substances Act scheduling. Neuropharmacology, 109220. Advance online publication. 

Nichols C. D. (2022). Psychedelics as potent anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Neuropharmacology, 109232. 

Hibicke, M., & Nichols, C. D. (2022). Validation of the forced swim test in Drosophila, and its use to demonstrate psilocybin has long-lasting antidepressant-like effects in flies. Scientific reports, 12(1), 10019. 

Flanagan, T. W., & Nichols, C. D. (2022). Psychedelics and Anti-inflammatory Activity in Animal Models. Current topics in behavioral neurosciences, 10.1007/7854_2022_367. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2022_367

Battaglia, D. M., Sanchez-Pino, M. D., Nichols, C. D., & Foster, T. P. (2022). Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Induced Serotonin-Associated Metabolic Pathways Correlate With Severity of Virus- and Inflammation-Associated Ocular Disease. Frontiers in microbiology, 13, 859866. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.85986

Kelley, D. P., Venable, K., Destouni, A., Billac, G., Ebenezer, P., Stadler, K., Nichols, C., Barker, S., & Francis, J. (2022). Pharmahuasca and DMT Rescue ROS Production and Differentially Expressed Genes Observed after Predator and Psychosocial Stress: Relevance to Human PTSD. ACS chemical neuroscience, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00660

Savino, A., and Nichols C.D. (2021) Lysergic acid diethylamide induces increased signaling entropy in rats' prefrontal cortex. J Neurochem. Nov 2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34729786.

Kozlowska, U., Nichols C.D., Wiatr, K., and Figiel M. (2021) From psychiatry to neurology: Psychedelics as prospective therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. J Neurochem. Sep 13. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34519052.

Yu, B, Battaglia, D.M., Foster, T.P., and Nichols, CD. (2021) Serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor activity mediates adipocyte differentiation through control of adipogenic gene expression. Sci Rep. Oct 5;11(1):19714. PMID: 34611182; PMCID: PMC8492876.

Flanagan, T.W., Billac, G.B., Landry, A.L., Sebastian, M.N., Cormier, S.A. and Nichols, C.D. (2020) Structure-activity relationship analysis of psychedelics in a rat model of asthma reveals the anti- inflamamtory pharmacophore. ACS Pharmacol. Transl. Sci. 4(2):488-502. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00063.

Hibicke, M., Talman, Z., Kramer, H, and Nichols, C.D.(2020) Psychedelics, but not ketamine, produce persistent antidepressant-like effects in a rodent experimental system for the study of depression. ACS Chem Neurosci. 11, 6, 864-871.

Sexton, J.D., Nichols, C.D., and Hendricks, P.S. (2020). Population Survey Data Informing the Therapeutic Potential of Classic and Novel Phenethylamine, Tryptamine, and Lysergamide Psychedelics. Front Psychiatry. 10:896 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00896

Flanagan, T. W., Sebastian, M. N., Battaglia, D. M., Foster, T. P., Cormier, S. A., & Nichols, C. D. (2019). 5-HT2 receptor activation alleviates airway inflammation and structural remodeling in a chronic mouse asthma model. Life Sci, 236, 116790.

Flanagan, T.W., Sebastian, M.N., Battaglia, D.M., Foster, T.P., Maillet, E.L., and Nichols, C.D. (2019). Activation of 5-HT2 Receptors Reduces Inflammation in Vascular Tissue and Cholesterol Levels in High-Fat Diet-Fed Apolipoprotein e Knockout Mice. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-10.

Kuypers KP, Ng L, Erritzoe D, Knudsen GM, Nichols CD, Nichols DE, Pani L, Soula A, Nutt D. (2019). Microdosing psychedelics: More questions than answers? An overview and suggestions for future research. J Psychopharmacol. Jul 14:269881119857204. PMID31303095.

Flanagan, T.W., and Nichols C.D. (2018). Psychedlics as anti-inflammatory agents. IntRevPsychiatry, (13) 1-13.

Martin, D.A., and Nichols, C.D. (2018). The effects of hallucinogens on gene expression. Behavioral Neurobiology of Hallucinogens, Entactogens, and Psychomimetics / Current topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. (Vol. 20, pp. 92-22). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Kayzar, E.J., Nichols C.D., Gainetdinov, R.R., Nichols, D.E., and Kalueff, A.V. (2017) Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. in press.

Martin, D., Xu, J., Porretta, C., & Nichols, C. D. (2017). Neurocytometry: Flow Cytometric Sorting of Specific Neuronal Populations from Human and Rodent Brain. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 8(2), 356-367. 

Nichols, D.E., Johnson, M.W., and Nichols, C.D. (2017) Psychedelics as Emerging Medicines: An Emerging new paradigm. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 101(2), 209-219. 

Martin, D.A., and Nichols, C.D. (2016) Psychedelics recruit multiple cellular types and produce complex transcriptional responses within the brain. EBioMedicine (a new journal from a collaboration between Cell and Lancet) 11, 262-277. 

Nau, F.J., Miller, J. Saravia, J., Ahlert, T., Yu, B., Happel, K, Cormier, S.A. and Nichols, C.D. (2015). Serotonin 5-HT₂ receptor activation prevents allergic asthma in mouse model.  Am J Physol Lung Cell Mol Physiol.  Jan 15;308(2):L191-8. PMCID: PMC4338938

Martin D.A., Marona-Lewicka D., Nichols D.E., and Nichols CD (2014). Chronic LSD alters gene expression profiles in the mPFC relevant to schizophrenia. Neuropharmacology doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.03.013.

Majeed, Z.R., Nichols, C.D., and Cooper, R.L. (2013). 5-HT stimulation of heart rate in Drosophila does not act through cAMP as revealed by pharmacogenetics. Journal of Applied Physiology. 115 (11):1656-65. PMCID: PMC3882742.

Nau*, F.J., Yu*, B., , Martin, D., and Nichols, C.D. (2013) Serotonin 5-HT_2A Receptor Activation Blocks TNF-α Mediated Inflammation in vivo. PLoS One. 8 (10):e75426. PMCID: PMC3788795.

Becnel, J., Johnson, O., Tran, Majeed, Z., V., Yu, B., Roth, B.L., Cooper, R.L., and C.D. Nichols (2013). A pharmacogenetic approach for robustly controlling behavior, neuronal signaling, and physiology in Drosophila. Cell Reports. 4(5): 1049-1059. PMCID: PMC3889141.

Daigle, J.G., Lanson, Jr, N.A.,  Smith, R., Casci, I., Maltare, A., Monaghan, J., Nichols , C.D., Kryndushkin, D., Shewmaker, F., and Pandey, U.B. (2013). RNA binding ability of FUS regulates neurodegeneration, cytoplasmic mislocalization and incorporation into stress granules associated with FUS carrying ALS-linked mutations. Hum. Mol. Genet 22(6):1193-205.

Dong, C., Nichols, C.D., Guo, J., Huang, W., Lambert, N.A., and Wu, G. (2012). A triple arg motif mediates α(2B)-adrenergic receptor interaction with Sec24C/D and export. Traffic13, 857-868

Dong, C., C.D. Nichols, Guo, J., Huang, W., Lambert, N.A., and G. Wu (2012). A Triple Arg Motif Mediates ?2B-Adrenergic Receptor Interaction with Sec24C/D and Export. Traffic. In Press.

Nichols, C.D., and U.B.Pandey (2012). Methods to assay Drosophila behavior. JoVE. Mar 7; (61).

Luo, J., Becnel, J., Nichols, C.D., Nässel, D.R. (2012) Insulin producing cells in the brain of adult Drosophila are regulated by the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor during stress. Cell and Molecular Life Sciences. 2012 Feb;69(3):471-84.

Johnson, O, J. Becnel, and C.D. Nichols (2011). Serotonin receptor activity is required for normal learning and memory in Drosophila melanogaster. Neuroscience.

Becnel, J., O. Johnson, J. Luo, D. Nässel, and C.D. Nichols (2011). The serotonin
5-HT7Dro receptor is expressed in the brain of Drosophila, and is essential for normal courtship and mating. PLoS One. 6(6): e20800.

Pandey, U.B., and C.D. Nichols (2011). Human disease models in Drosophila melanogaster,  and the role of the fly in therapeutic drug discovery. Pharm Rev. 63(2):411-436.

Maronica-Lewica, D., C.D. Nichols, and D.E. Nichols (2011). An animal model of schizophrenia based on chronic LSD administration: Old idea, new results. Neuropharmacology. 61:503-512.

Nichols C.D. (2009). Serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor function as an underlying factor contributing to both cardiovascular and psychiatric disease. Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol. 2009:475108

Nichols C.D. and B.L. Roth (2009). Engineered G-protein coupled receptors as a tool to investigate biological processes. Front Mol Neurosci. 2:16

Johnson, O. J. Becnel, and C.D. Nichols (2009). Serotonin 5-HT_1A and 5-HT₂ receptors modulate different aspects of aggressive behaviors in Drosophila. Neuroscience. 4:1292-1300. 

Duvernay M.T., Dong C., Zhang X., Zhou F., Nichols C.D., G. Wu (2009). Anterograde trafficking of G protein-coupled receptors: function of the C-terminal F(X)6LL motif in export from the endoplasmic reticulum. Molecular Pharmacology. 75:751-61.

Yu, B.,  J. Becnel, M. Zerfaoui, R. Rohatgi, H. Boulares, C. D. Nichols (2008) Serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor activation suppresses TNF-a-induced inflammation with extraordinary potency. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 327(2):316-23. *Featured article with commentary*

Nichols, D.E. and C.D. Nichols (2008). Serotonin Receptors. Chemical Reviews. 108(5):1614-1641.

Zerfaoui, M., Y. Suzuki, A.S. Naura, C.P.Hans, C.D. Nichols, A.H. Boulares (2008). Nuclear translocation of p65 NF-kB is sufficient for VCAM-1, but not ICAM-1, expression in TNF-stimulated smooth muscle cells: Differential requirement for PARP-1 expression and interaction. Cellular Signaling, 20:186-194.

Nichols, C.D. (2007). 5HT₂ receptors in Drosophila are expressed in the brain and modulate aspects of circadian behaviors. Developmental Neurobiology. 67:752-763.
Marvanova, M, and C.D. Nichols. (2007). Identification of neuroprotective compounds of C. elegans dopaminergic neurons against 6-OHDA. Journal of Molecular Neurobiology. 31:131-141.

Johnson, O, J. Becnel, and C.D. Nichols (2011). Serotonin receptor activity is required for normal learning and memory in Drosophila melanogaster. Neuroscience. 

Nichols, C.D. (2006). Drosophila melanogaster neurobiology, neuropharmacology, and how the fly can inform CNS drug discovery. 2006. Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 112(3):677-700.

Behan, K.J., Fair, J., Sing, S., Bogwitz, M., Perry, T., Grubor, V., Cunningham, F., Nichols, C.D., Cheung, T., Batterham, P., and J.A. Pollock. (2005). Alternative splicing removes an Ets interaction domain from Lozenge during Drosophila eye development. Development Genes and Evolution. 215(8):423-35.

Nichols, C.D., and E. Sanders-Bush (2004). Molecular genetic responses to lysergic acid diethylamide include transcriptional activation of MAP Kinase Phosphatase-1, C/EBP-, and ILAD-1, a novel gene with homology to arrestins. Journal of Neurochemistry, Aug;90(3):576-84.

Nichols, C.D., E.E. Garcia, and E. Sanders-Bush (2003). Dynamic changes in prefrontal cortex gene expression following lysergic acid diethylamide administration. Molecular Brain Research, 111: 182-188.

Nichols, C.D., J. Ronesi, W. Pratt, and E. Sanders-Bush (2002). Hallucinogens and Drosophila: Linking serotonin receptor activation to behavior. Neuroscience, 115: 979-984.

Nichols, C.D. and E. Sanders-Bush 2002). A single dose of lysergic acid diethylamide influences gene expression patterns within the mammalian brain. Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(5): 634-42.

Behan, K. J., C.D. Nichols, T. Cheung,  J. Fair, B. Hogan, P. Batterham,  and J. A. Pollock (2002). Yan regulates Lozenge through an eye specific enhancer in Drosophila. Development Genes and Evolution, 212:267-276.

É. L. S Loreto, A. Zaha, C. Nichols, J. A. Pollock, and V. L. S. Valente (1998). Characterization of a hypermutable strain of Drosophila simulans.CMLS, Cell and Molecular Life Sciences. 54: pp 1283-1290.

Pollock, J.A., A. Assaf, A. Peretz, C.D. Nichols, M.H. Mojet, R.C. Hardie, and B. Minke (1995).  TRP, a Protein Essential for Inositide-Mediated Ca²⁺ Influx Is Localized Adjacent to the Calcium Stores in Drosophila Photoreceptors. Journal of Neuroscience, 15(5):3747-3760.

Research

Functional Selectivty of 5-HT_2A receptor ligands at their target receptor to design new chemical entities with better therapeutic potential. 

5-HT_2A receptor agonists as potent anti-inflamamtory drugs and their development for clinical use.

The neuropharmacology of serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonists (psychedelics) in mammalian and Drosophila systems towards generating a mechanismstic understanding of therapeutic efficacy to treat psychiatric disorders.

Lab

Lab Members

Dr. Thomas Flanagan
Dr. Meghan Hibicke

Research

The research in my laboratory focuses on the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the molecular mechanisms underlying its behavioral and physiological effects, with an emphasis on the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor.

Serotonin (5-HT) in the brain modulates many complex behaviors including mood, cognition, appetite, sleep, aggression, memory, and sex. Serotonin in the periphery regulates many physiological processes including blood pressure, inflammation, cell division, and gut function.

Some of the most powerful tools to investigate the functional role of serotonin receptors, especially the 5-HT_2A receptor, are what are commonly known as psychedelic drugs. Selective activation of the receptor with chemicals like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are known to produce profound behavioral changes. These include hallucinations and detachment from reality, and are similar to those associated with certain psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. My laboratory discovered that drugs of this class are extremely potent anti-inflammtories, and can block inflammation produced by TNF-alpha as well as prevent inflammation in models of human inflammatory diseases. Our focus on the investigation of the mechanism of action of this class of drug on both behaviors and physiological processes will provide critical insight into normal biological processes like cognition and abnormal processes including schizophrenia as well as for inflammatory-related diseases.

Areas of Research

1. Elucidation of the mechanism of action of LSD in the mammalian brain to alter behaviors.

• We have recently found that only a small fraction of cells within the brain are directly responding to psychedelics. These include excitatory and inhibitory neurons, and astrocytes and glia. We have termed these the 'Trigger Population' and hypothesize that their activation is necessary for the behavioral effects induced by drug administration. Importantly, we believe that these cells are critical for normal brain and cognitive functions, and a greater understanding of their normal roles will lead to a greater understanding of mechanisms underlying cognition, and diseases like schizophrenia, and towards developing therapeutics to treat disease.                                                                        

2. Determination of the role of 5-HT_2Areceptors to prevent inflammation.

• Activation with psychedelics produces extremely potent blockade of inflammation in cell culture models, whole animals, and in models of human inflammatory diseases. We believe that psychedelic drugs are activating the receptor differently than serotonin to recruit anti-inflammatory pathways through functionally selective mechanisms. There are currently two projects examing this:
  • Structure function analysis in cell culture models examining functional selectivity in relation to signal transduction pathways
  • Continuing studies in rodent models of inflammtory diseases like asthma, where we have demonstrated agonists potently prevent the development of allergic asthma.

3. Study of the neuropharmacology of serotonin in the fruit fly,Drosophila melanogaster.

• Over the past 20 years I have developed the fruit fly as a translational model to study serotonin neuropharmacology. I have established a role for serotonin receptors in learning and memory, aggression, courtship, and circadian behaviors, and have developed many genetic tools for the study of serotonin and its receptors in the fly. These have included GAL4 drivers, and translation of the DREADD system for selective activation or silencing of tissues and cells to the fly. Currently, we are examining the role of serotonin in the stimulant effects of drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine in Drosophila, and the brain circuitry underlying these drug's stimulant effects.