Stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and PTSD, are very prevalent and debilitating mental illnesses in modern society. Although many drugs are currently available to treat such conditions, they have important limitations: delayed onset of the therapeutic effect, low remission ratio and high levels of relapsing.
In search for better treatment options, we investigate different aspects of stress neurobiology to find new targets for drug development or new options for treatment.
We use stress models to induce behavioural changes that reflect different aspects of psychiatric disorders, in combination with ex vivo determination of molecular changes in the brain (mRNA, protein, neurotransmitters, lipid mediators).
We also use in vitro approaches (cell cultures) to investigate molecular mechanisms involved in drug-induced effects.
Our previous research demonstrated that cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychoactive compound from cannabis, induces rapid antidepressant effects. In this project, we investigate 1. CBD effects in different models of stress-related psychiatric disorders; 2. the molecular mechanisms behind CBD effects on behavior and neuroplasticity; 3. biomolecular signature of CBD, in comparison to other rapid acting antidepressants.
We investigate if: the resistance to antidepressant is associated with the incapacity to inhibit NLRP3 activation under stress; 2. the inhibition of NLRP3 activation promotes antidepressant-like effects and facilitates the response to antidepressants, in a model o treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
We investigate if rapid changes in eCB signaling in the brain could be relevant for the rapid effect of antidepressant drugs.
Our research projects have received support from Lundbeck Foundation, Aarhus University Research Foundation, Jascha Fonden, Sao Paulo Estate Research Foundation (FAPESP).