Équipe Philippe MARIN

Clinical studies have shown that hallucinogenic agonists of the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor (5-HT_2AR), such as LSD or psilocybin, induce rapid antidepressant effects in humans that persist for several weeks after treatment. Recent work by C. Bécamel’s group suggests that the antidepressant effect linked to 5-HT_2AR activation can be dissociated from the psychedelic experience. It therefore seems crucial to clarify the mechanisms of action of both hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic treatments in modulating the neuronal circuits involved in depression, with the aim of developing novel antidepressant therapies in the future.

We are investigating the electrophysiological properties of prefrontal cortex neurons (intrinsic excitability and afferent synaptic activity) to correlate changes in the electrophysiological properties of these neurons with their structural plasticity, induced by 5-HT_2AR activation and the signaling pathways involved—depending on whether a psychedelic experience is induced by different classes of 5-HT_2AR agonists in a rodent model of induced depression in vivo.