Research conducted by the Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders team aims to answer two major questions : the Etiology of Depression, and the function of Dopamine in  the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Our fundamental and preclinical studies have identified new mechanisms contributing to individual vulnerability or resistance (resiliency) to depression and underlying the action of antidepressants. Ongoing projects aim to further elucidate the role of these novel systems in plasticity-related processes within the neural circuitry in normal and pathological conditions. We will also investigate whether certain of these systems constitute valid biomarkers in humans, to assess the efficacy of antidepressant therapies, and we are currently developing selective approaches to manipulate their activity in order to improve antidepressant efficacy.