The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Renaud Rovera et al.
Abstract Background Recent clinical findings have highlighted the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), in the treatment of affective disorders. Despite these advances, the mechanisms driving their beneficial effects remain partially understood. Aims & Objectives This study sought to assess the prophylactic effects of LSD in rodent...
L'Encephale
April 9, 2026
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Thomas Delannay et al.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) represents a colossal worldwide burden of health, affecting more than 350 million individuals. While traditional antidepressants with mechanisms of action at the serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine pathways are routinely prescribed, approximately one-third of patients fail to achieve adequate remission and develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
October 10, 2025
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Thomas Delannay et al.
3 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions worldwide, affecting over 350 million people. Standard treatments, primarily antidepressants targeting serotonin, noradrenaline, and/or dopamine, are based on the monoamine hypothesis, which links depression to imbalances in these neurotransmitters. A sizable fraction of patients, however, does not get enough...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Renaud Rovera et al.
Abstract Background Recent clinical trials show that serotonergic psychedelics, including the prototypical hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), present a great promise for treating affective disorders. While the hallucinogenic activities of LSD are commonly attributed to stimulation of 5-HT2A receptors, their role in LSD’s antidepressant response is still in debate. Interestingly, LSD...
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
July 16, 2025
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Renaud Rovera et al.
12 citations
Recent clinical trials show that serotonergic psychedelics, including the prototypical hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), possess a great promise for treating affective disorders. Interestingly, LSD displays strong functional activity on 5-HT2B receptors and a modulatory role of the latter receptors in anxious and depressive-like behaviors has been reported. Using behavioral and in...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2025
Sarah Delcourte, Amel Bouloufa, Renaud Rovera et al.
3 citations
Beside image vision, light plays a pivotal role in regulating diverse non-visual functions, including affective behaviors. Recently, bright light stimulation (BLS) was revealed to be beneficial for treating non-seasonal depression, although its mechanism of action is not fully understood. We developed a novel mouse model of refractory depression, induced through social isolation and chronic...
Biologie aujourd'hui
2025
Amel Bouloufa, Sarah Delcourte, Nasser Haddjeri
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and disabling condition affecting over 350 million individuals worldwide. Although conventional antidepressants targeting serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline pathways provide benefit for many, a substantial proportion of patients experience inadequate response. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD), defined by failure to respond to at least two...
Soukaina Es-Safi, Céline Bourcier-Lucas, Erika Abrial et al.
preprint
ABSTRACT Ketamine at subanaesthetic dose is known as a fast-acting antidepressant (AD), able to facilitate synaptic plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or the hippocampus. However, its influence on the serotonergic (5-HT) system is more confusing as it loses its behavioral effects in 5-HT-depleted animals, but does not modify 5-HT neuron function. We hypothesized that this...