Research Groups

[916] Treatment and Neurobiology of Depression

Humour Disorders

"Interdisciplinary project: Ketamine and fast antidepressant response: A translational neurobiological, imaging, and clinical approach" (Soutenu par le FNS).

This translational project aims at documenting the clinical efficacy and a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of the action of ketamine. Uni- and bipolar depressed patients will be injected unique or repeated small doses of ketamine and the immediate and prolonged effect on brain function at the metabolic and cognitive level will be documented using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The quality and quantity of brain plasticity in different regions of the animal brain will also be studied after ketamine administration, at the cellular and the whole brain level using fluorescence microscopy and functional neuroimaging techniques.

Our clinical studies will eventually allow a better integration of ketamine administration in a clinical treatment schedule if the rapid and substantial clinical effect can be demonstrated. This could lead to a new treatment approach of depression, since current antidepressant all target monoamine neurotransmitter systems (serotonin, noradernaline, dopamine), wheas ketamine interferes with glutamatergic neurotransmission. The preclinical studies will allow answering fundamental questions pertaining to the structural-neuronal changes induced by ketamine, including the kinetics of the formation of spines, their relation to changes in local brain metabolism, the brain regions where the spines are formed, and, very importantly, the implication of the serotonergic system in their formation.

"PSYCHE : Personalised monitoring SYstems for Care in mental Health" (Projet dans le cadre du 7ième programme de la rechrerhce européenne) en collaboration avec 8 autre centres qui vise à développer un système portable permettant d'enregistrer différentes variables physiologiques comme l'ECG, l'EEG, les mouvements, la voix etc. ainsi que de monitorer par exemple l'humeur, les contacts sociaux, la prise de médicaments etc. Ce système permettra une analyse des données à distance et devrait améliorer la prise en charge de patients souffrants de troubles de l'humeur et permettre un monitoring de signes annonciateurs de rechute.

Group Publications