Melissa Perreault
Associate Professor
BSc (McMaster), PhD (McMaster)
perreaum@uoguelph.ca
Office: Biom 3645 OVC
519-824-4120 Ext. 52013
Lab: Biom 3653 OVC
519-824-4120 Ext. 54969
Research Interests
- Using animal model systems, in vitro and in vivo systems electrophysiology, pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, neurochemistry, behaviour to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathology of neuropsychiatric disorders
- Sex differences is neuropsychiatric disorder risk and symptom manifestation (depression, autism spectrum disorders)
- Brain wave patterns as biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorder pathology and therapeutic efficacy
- GSK-3 signaling in brain systems function and cognitive disorders (schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's disease)
In our laboratory we use multiple advanced techniques to take an integrative approach to research that involves combining cell and systems research with animal behaviour to help us gain insights into the mechanisms of disease, with a particular focus on neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease. At present our primary research focuses are in depression, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as drug discovery. To achieve this we use pharmacological, pharmacogenetic and behavioural techniques combined with electrophysiology and computational algorithms to evaluate how neuronal network communication is impaired is these models, and to determine the cell signaling pathways responsible for the network disruption.
Current Graduate Students
- Agostino Bordignon - MSc
- Caitlin Nolan - PhD
- Isaac Russell - MSc
- Stefan Salo - MSc
- Evan Spangenberg - PhD
- Olivia Williams - PhD
Professional Experience & Honours
Member, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, Royal Society of Canada
Selected Publications
- Williams OOF*, Coppolino M*, George SR, Perreault ML. Sex differences in dopamine receptors and relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders. Brain Sciences, 11:1199.
- McCallum R*, Perreault ML. 2021. Glycogen synthase kinase-3: A focal point for advancing pathogenic inflammation in depression. Cells, 10:2270.
- Buckhalter S*, Soubeyrand E, Jenkins BW, Khokhar JY, Akhtar TA, Perreault ML. 2021. The antidepressant-like and analgesic effects of kratom alkaloids are accompanied by changes in low frequency oscillations but not ΔFosB accumulation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, online ahead of print, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.696461
- Thériault RK*, St-Denis M*, Hewitt T, Khokhar JY, Lalonde J, Perreault ML. 2021. Sex-specific cannabidiol- and iloperidone-induced neuronal activity changes in an in vitro MAM model system of schizophrenia. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22:5511.
- Albeely AM*, Williams OOF#*, Perreault ML. 2021. GSK-3β disrupts neural oscillatory function to inhibit learning and memory in rats. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, online ahead of print, doi: 10.1007/s10571-020-01020-z
- Thériault RK*, Manduca JD*, Perreault ML. 2021. Sex differences in innate and adaptive neural oscillatory patterns link resilience and susceptibility to chronic stress in rats. J Psychiatry Neurosci, 46:E258-E270.
- Manduca JD*, Thériault RK*, Williams OOF*, Rasmussen D*, Perreault ML. 2020. Transient dose-dependent effects of ketamine on neural oscillatory activity in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Neuroscience, 441:161-175.
- Manduca JD*, Thériault RK*, Perreault ML. 2020. Glycogen synthase kinase-3: The missing link to aberrant circuit function in disorders of cognitive dysfunction? Pharmacological Research, 157:104819.
- Thériault RK*, Manduca JD*, Blight CR, Khokhar JY, Akhtar TA, Perreault ML. 2020. Acute mitragynine administration suppresses cortical oscillatory power and systems theta coherence in rats. J Psychopharmacol, 34:759-770.
- Hasbi A, Nguyen T, Rahal H, Manduca JD*, Miksys S, Tyndale RF, Madras BM, Perreault ML, George SR. 2020. Sex difference in dopamine D1-D2 receptor complex expression and signaling affects anxiety- and depression-like behaviour. Biol Sex Differences, 11: 8.
