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Joël Bockaert

7 papers in the library · 149 citations · publishing 2005-2025

Papers

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A reciprocal interplay between 5-HT2A and mGlu5 receptors underlies neuroplasticity

bioRxiv Preprint Server July 23, 2025 Tomas Del Olmo, Mathilde Decourcelle, Martial Séveno et al. preprint

The serotonin (5-HT)2A receptor is the primary target of numerous psychoactive drugs including serotonergic psychedelics, and mediates psychedelics-induced neuroplasticity, but the signaling mechanisms involved remain poorly characterized. Using quantitative phosphoproteomics, we show that the administration of the hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) to...

Antidepressant-like effects of psychedelics in a chronic despair mouse model: is the 5-HT2A receptor the unique player?

Neuropsychopharmacology March 1, 2024 Mehdi Sekssaoui, Joël Bockaert, Philippe Marin et al. 76 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most disabling psychiatric disorders in the world. First-line treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) still have many limitations, including a resistance to treatment in 30% of patients and a delayed clinical benefit that is observed only after several weeks of treatment. Increasing clinical evidence indicates that the...

DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01794-6 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Psychedelics Mental health Antidepressants Pharmacology

Effects of a psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist on anxiety-related behavior and fear processing in mice.

Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 2022 Błażej D. Pędzich, Sarah Rubens, Mehdi Sekssaoui et al.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy gained considerable interest as a novel treatment strategy for fear-related mental disorders but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. The serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor is a key target underlying the effects of psychedelics on emotional arousal but its role in fear processing remains controversial. Using the psychedelic 5-HT2A/5-HT2C receptor...

Sustained Activation of Postsynaptic 5-HT2A Receptors Gates Plasticity at Prefrontal Cortex Synapses.

Cerebral Cortex April 1, 2019 Coralie Berthoux, Alexander Barre, Joël Bockaert et al.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in many high-level cognitive processes. It is densely innervated by serotonergic neurons originating from the dorsal and median raphe nuclei, which profoundly influence PFC activity. Among the 5-HT receptors abundantly expressed in PFC, 5-HT2A receptors located in dendrites of layer V pyramidal neurons control neuronal excitability and mediate the...

Quantitative Phosphoproteomics Unravels Biased Phosphorylation of Serotonin 2A Receptor at Ser280 by Hallucinogenic versus Nonhallucinogenic Agonists

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics March 18, 2014 Samah Karaki, Carine Bécamel, Samy Murat et al. 73 citations

The serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor is a primary target of psychedelic hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamine, mescaline, and psilocybin, which reproduce some of the core symptoms of schizophrenia. An incompletely resolved paradox is that only some 5-HT(2A) receptor agonists exhibit hallucinogenic activity, whereas structurally related agonists with comparable affinity and activity lack...

Anorexia induced by activation of serotonin 5-HT4 receptors is mediated by increases in CART in the nucleus accumbens.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 9, 2007 Alexandra Jean, Grégory Conductier, Christine Manrique et al.

Anorexia nervosa is a growing concern in mental health, often inducing death. The potential neuronal deficits that may underlie abnormal inhibitions of food intake, however, remain largely unexplored. We hypothesized that anorexia may involve altered signaling events within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain structure involved in reward. We show here that direct stimulation of serotonin...

3,4-N-methlenedioxymethamphetamine-induced hypophagia is maintained in 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice, but suppressed by the 5-HT2C receptor antagonist RS102221.

Neuropsychopharmacology June 2005 Grégory Conductier, Cyril Crosson, René Hen et al.

3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA or 'ecstasy') is a psychoactive substance, first described as an appetite suppressant in humans, inducing side effects and even death. MDMA increases serotonin (5-HT) levels, and 5-HT inhibits food intake, but the 5-HT receptors involved in MDMA-induced changes in feeding behavior are unknown. We examined whether a systemic MDMA injection would reduce...