Our Pharmacodynamics service provides an exhaustive examination of how drugs affect neuronal activity in the intact brain. This analysis is critical for establishing the drug’s mechanism of action. Utilizing high-density electrodes to record neuronal spiking and local field potentials, we reveal a detailed landscape of how drugs influence neural activity patterns across various brain states and regions. These detailed animal data help confirm the mechanism of action in humans by predicting changes in non-invasive metrics such as EEG, MEG, and event-related potentials in specific brain regions and test paradigms.

Every chemical has a unique profile of interactions with receptors and/or ion channels,

thereby distinctively influencing various neurotransmitter systems and the excitability of

different neuronal types. We establish both unique and common with similar chemicals

effects of compounds on brain dynamics involved in specific cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes. This includes evaluating how drugs influence the firing patterns of neurons and their synchronization within neuronal circuits, and conducting optogenetic assays to assess the neurophysiological underpinnings of drug efficacy and inform the development of novel compounds.