Physiologie et pharmacologie préclinique des troubles neuropsychiatriques (P3TN)
Physiology and preclinical pharmacology of neuropsychiatric disorders (P3TN)

P3TN is the French acronyme for “Physiology and Preclinical Pharmacology of Neuropsychiatric Disorders”. This new team in INCIA currently covers larger aspects than preclinical pharmacology thanks to the presence of Dr Maurice Garret and Prof Jan-Andreanus Veenstra who are investigating neurodevelopmental issues in the R6/1 mouse model of Huntington’s disease and characterizing the function of neuropeptides in invertebrates, respectively (see below). The preclinical pharmacology is developed by Dr Guillaume Lucas and Prof Philippe De Deurwaerdère with the help of Dr Valérie Lemaire and Dr Anne-Emilie Allain. It mostly addresses new serotonergic-based agents for the treatment of mood disorders with a focus on the efficacy of 5-HT4 receptor agonists and 5-HT2 receptor agonists including hallucinogenic drugs. The team also addresses the preclinical efficacy of iron chelators in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease or the mechanism of action of L-DOPA.

The technical approaches mastered by the team are currently numerous including biochemistry, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, the monitoring of monoamines and amino acid neurotransmitters (neurochemistry), in vivo electrophysiology, intracerebral microdialysis, and behaviors related to motor behaviors and stress.

Some of the topics currently investigated by the members of the team are as follows:


  • Synaptic plasticity within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus as a key towards new, fast-acting antidepressant strategies: role of 5-HT and its 5-HT4 receptor type

  • Inter-individuality in mood disorders and the responses to classical antidepressant and hallucinogenic drugs

  • Neurodegenerative diseases: from physiopathology to the chelation of irons

  • Functional Characterization of Neuropeptides and monoamines