Dr. Jessica Deslauriers is a researcher within the Neurosciences Axis of the CRCHU de Québec-Université Laval, and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval.

Dr. Deslauriers completed her graduate studies in physiology at Université de Sherbrookeunder the supervision of Drs. Sylvain Grignon and Philippe Sarret. She investigated the role of prenatal inflammation in the development of psychotic-like and depressive-like behaviors in mice. She then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Victoria Risbrough. The preclinical and clinical studies conducted by Dr. Deslauriers helped to gain a better understanding of the role of the inflammatory response following a psychological trauma in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She acquired a strong expertise in pharmacology, molecular biology, neurodevelopmental models of psychiatric disorders, behavioral neuroscience and study of the immune signaling pathways.

Susceptibility to post-traumatic disorders: towards a personalized medicine in psychiatry

90% of the population has endorsed or will experience a traumatic event during their life, and more than half of these individuals develop psychiatric symptoms, such as PTSD, schizophrenia, or depression. The current available treatments have a limited efficacy. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel pharmacological therapies.

Dr. Deslauriers’ laboratory at the CRCHU de Québec-Université Laval uses translational and multidisciplinary approaches (1) to understand the mechanisms of susceptibility to psychological trauma, with a primary focus on immune signaling pathways; (2) to identify inflammatory and imaging biomarkers of increased susceptibility to trauma; and (3) to use a personalized medicine by targeting pharmacological approaches based on molecular and pathophysiological characteristics specific to the patient or the “at-risk” individual. Dr. Deslauriers uses a methodology translatable from rodents to humans, including behavioral paradigms, magnetic resonance imaging, as well as genetic and chemogenetic approaches. Her projects are currently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Fondation du CHU de Québec.

CHUL
2705 boul Laurier
R-3706
Québec, Qc
Canada G1V 4G2
+1 418-525-4444, extension 46246
jessica.deslauriers@crchu...

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19 entries « ‹ 1 of 2 › »

Levesque P, Desmeules C, Béchard L, Huot-Lavoie M, Demers MF, Roy MA, Deslauriers J

Sex-specific immune mechanisms in PTSD symptomatology and risk: A translational overview and perspectives

Journal Article

Brain Res Bull, 195 , 2023.

Abstract | Links:

Baratta AM, Kanyuch NR, Cole CA, Valafar H, Deslauriers J, Pocivavsek A

Acute sleep deprivation during pregnancy in rats: Rapid elevation of placental and fetal inflammation and kynurenic acid

Journal Article

Neurobiol Stress, 12 , 2020.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Toth M, Scadeng M, McKenna BS, Bussell R, Gresack J, Rissman R, Risbrough VB, Brown GG

DTI-identified microstructural changes in the gray matter of mice overexpressing CRF in the forebrain

Journal Article

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging, 304 , 2020.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Toth M, Zhou X, Risbrough VB

Heritable Differences in Catecholamine Signaling Modulate Susceptibility to Trauma and Response to Methylphenidate Treatment: Relevance for PTSD

Journal Article

Front Behav Neurosci, 13 , 2019.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Acheson DT, Maihofer AX, Nievergelt CM, Baker DG, Geyer MA, Risbrough VB,

COMT val158met polymorphism links to altered fear conditioning and extinction are modulated by PTSD and childhood trauma

Journal Article

Depress Anxiety, 35 (1), 2018.

Abstract | Links:

Maurice-Gelinas C, Deslauriers J, Monpays C, Sarret P, Grignon S

The 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride increases suicide-related aggressive behaviors and blocks clozapine-induced beneficial effects in an animal model of schizophrenia

Journal Article

Physiol Behav, 191 , 2018.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Toth M, Der-Avakian A, Risbrough VB

Current Status of Animal Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Behavioral and Biological Phenotypes, and Future Challenges in Improving Translation

Journal Article

Biol Psychiatry, 83 (10), 2018.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Powell S, Risbrough VB

Immune signaling mechanisms of PTSD risk and symptom development: insights from animal models

Journal Article

Curr Opin Behav Sci, 14 , 2017.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, van Wijngaarde M, Geyer MA, Powell S, Risbrough VB

Effects of LPS-induced immune activation prior to trauma exposure on PTSD-like symptoms in mice

Journal Article

Behav Brain Res, 323 , 2017.

Abstract | Links:

Deslauriers J, Belleville K, Beaudet N, Sarret P, Grignon S

A two-hit model of suicide-trait-related behaviors in the context of a schizophrenia-like phenotype: Distinct effects of lithium chloride and clozapine

Journal Article

Physiol Behav, 156 , 2016.

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19 entries « ‹ 1 of 2 › »
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Active projects

  • A putative role for adaptive immunity in PTSD symptomatology, from 2022-09-30 to 2023-09-30
  • Démarrage d'un nouveau professeur, from 2020-01-01 to 2023-12-31
  • FGR-Brain's adaptation to stress and stress memory: bridging a gap between inflammation and blood-brain barrier integrity, from 2022-09-01 to 2023-08-31
  • Fonds de démarrage. Jessica Deslauriers, from 2020-01-06 to 2024-03-31
  • Mécanismes de vulnérabilité au trauma psychologique: mieux comprendre le rôle de l'inflammation et de la barrière hémato-encéphalique pour cibler une pharmacothérapie de précision, from 2021-07-01 to 2025-06-30
  • Mécanismes de vulnérabilité au trauma psychologique: mieux comprendre le rôle de l’inflammation et de la barrière hémato-encéphalique pour cibler une pharmacothérapie de précision, from 2021-07-01 to 2025-06-30
  • Posttraumatic disorders and brain-derived exosomes: towards targeting exosomal-based therapy to promote resilience, from 2023-02-02 to 2023-12-31
  • Projet PAT-MOBILE (Psychosis And Trauma - Measurements of Biomarkers Levels in exosomes) : étude pilote axée sur les exosomes comme indicateurs de diagnostic, pronostic et traitement, from 2022-04-01 to 2023-03-31
  • Troubles psychotiques, trauma et inflammation cérébrale: les exosomes comme fenêtre sur une maladie du cerveau, from 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31

Recently finished projects

  • Laboratoire de biomarqueurs pour la recherche sur le trouble de stress post-traumatique, from 2021-07-09 to 2022-12-31
  • Microglial control of synaptic function in stress response and vulnerability to depression, from 2018-05-15 to 2021-05-14
  • Peripheral and central mechanisms of trauma: angiotensin and BBB integrity, from 2020-01-01 to 2022-12-16
  • Projet de recherche en pharmacie (neurosciences) , from 2020-02-05 to 2021-03-31
  • The echo effect of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: a study to oversee the impact of the preventive measures and risk perception on mental health and inflammation, from 2020-07-01 to 2021-12-31
Data provided by the Université Laval research projects registery