Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Medical College of Wisconsin · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Cecilia Hillard is a leading expert in endocannabinoid biochemistry and the role of the ECS in stress responses and psychiatric disorders. Her laboratory has made foundational contributions to understanding how stress regulates endocannabinoid signaling, and how disruptions in this system contribute to anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Hillard's work on the relationship between circulating endocannabinoid levels and psychiatric symptoms has opened new biomarker opportunities for cannabinoid-based therapeutics.
Pharmacopsychiatry · 2012
Demonstrated that women with major depressive disorder have significantly lower serum anandamide and 2-AG levels than healthy controls, supporting the endocannabinoid deficiency hypothesis.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1298181Seminars in Immunology · 2014
Comprehensive review of how acute and chronic stress regulate endocannabinoid synthesis, release, and receptor signaling, with implications for stress-related psychiatric disorders.
DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2014.01.001