Emmanuelle Schindler, MD, PhD

Among her efforts to optimize the management of headache disorders, Emmanuelle Schindler, MD, PhD, has developed and executed the first controlled trials investigating the effects and mechanisms of action of psilocybin in cluster, migraine, and post-traumatic headache. Previously, she studied the neuropharmacology of psychedelics and other serotonergic compounds in the context of receptor binding and intracellular signaling. Currently, she is seeking to identify the source of sustained reductions in headache burden after limited dosing of psychedelic and related compounds, considering several neurobiological systems involved in both headache pathology and the known actions of psychedelic compounds.

Another endeavor of hers is to enhance the understanding of and improve the lives of patients with cluster headache, a severely painful headache disorder also known as “suicide headache.” Recognition and proper management of this condition is lacking. While novel therapies are finally emerging, further research is needed. In addition to better treatments, basic gold-standard therapies, such as inhaled oxygen, remain out of reach for many patients. "Education on many levels, including federal regulatory bodies, is required to best serve this patient population that itself has demonstrated immense resilience and optimism in the face of their disease," she says.