Julie LE MERRER

29
Documents

Présentation

Currently Research Director at CNRS, I am a neuroscientist expert in behavioral psychopharmacology, reward processes and social behavior in mice.
I defended a State Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2000, while I was pursuing a PhD in Neurosciences and Pharmacology from 1997-2002 in the lab of Robert Jaffard (University of Bordeaux), under the supervision of Pierre Cazala. During my PhD, I explored the role of mu opioid receptors in interfacing learning, anxiety and motivation in the septum. In 2003, I started a first post-doctoral position at the University of Sussex (UK), under the supervision of Dai Stephens, where I investigated plastic and behavioural consequences of alcohol withdrawal and conditioning to drug and food cues. In 2006, I joined the lab of Brigitte Kieffer at IGBMC (Strasbourg). There, I characterized the long-term behavioral and transcriptional consequences of drug exposure and explored the functional roles of mu and delta opioid receptors using knockout mouse models. I notably validated the mu opioid receptor null mice as a model of autism, and identified for the first time the mGlu4 receptor as a promising therapeutic target to relieve autistic symptoms.
I was recruited as a research Associate at CNRS in 2014 and established my team in co-direction with Jerome Becker, molecular biologist and pharmacologist, at PRC (INRA, CNRS, University of Tours). We focused our research on identifying the neurobiological underpinnings of social behaviour under physiological and pathological (autism) conditions and developing novel therapeutic strategies to relieve autistic symptoms across multiple mouse models. We have implemented various complementary approaches to achieve these goals, from in vitro pharmacology and transcriptome analysis to behavioural pharmacology, local gene knockdown and optopharmacology. These fruitful years of research have confirmed our strong interest in neuropsychiatric disorders and we are now joining the team “Neuro-functional Psychiatry” at iBrain, Inserm U1253, University of Tours.

Publications

Publications

Targeting mGlyR with nanobodies for depression

Thibaut Laboute , Stefano Zucca , Omar Sial , Mansi Sharma , Gloria Brunori et al.

Nature Communications, 2026, 17, pp.831. ⟨10.1038/s41467-026-68339-x⟩

Article dans une revue hal-05488847v1
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Perinatal exposure to the autism-linked metabolite p-Cresol has limited impact on early development in mice but lasting effects on adult social behavior

Juliette Canaguier , Geoffroy Mallaret , Cristina Paraschivescu , Susana Barbosa , Julie Le Merrer et al.

Scientific Reports, 2025, 15, ⟨10.1038/s41598-025-96840-8⟩

Article dans une revue hal-05235491v1
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Lifelong exposure to polystyrene-nanoplastics induces an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-like phenotype and impairs brain aging in mice

Anaïs N Vignon , Gaëlle Dudon , Giulia Oliva , Steeve Thirard , Ugo G Alenda et al.

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2025, 494, pp.138640. ⟨10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138640⟩

Article dans une revue hal-05387908v1
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Acute, chronic and conditioned effects of intranasal oxytocin in the mu-opioid receptor knockout mouse model of autism: Social context matters

Fani Pantouli , Camille N Pujol , Cécile Derieux , Mathieu Fonteneau , Lucie P. Pellissier et al.

Neuropsychopharmacology, 2024, 49 (12), pp.1934-1946. ⟨10.1038/s41386-024-01915-1⟩

Article dans une revue hal-04735048v1
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The NMDA receptor modulator zelquistinel durably relieves behavioral deficits in three mouse models of autism spectrum disorder

Mathieu Fonteneau , Agathe Brugoux , Déborah Jaccaz , John Donello , Pradeep Banerjee et al.

Neuropharmacology, 2024, 248, pp.109889. ⟨10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109889⟩

Article dans une revue hal-04512687v1
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Balance between projecting neuronal populations of the nucleus accumbens controls social behavior in mice

Julie Le Merrer , Bérangère Detraux , Jorge Gandía , Aurélie de Groote , Mathieu Fonteneau et al.

Biological Psychiatry, 2023, 95 (2), pp.123-135. ⟨10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.05.008⟩

Article dans une revue hal-04247782v1
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Chronic sodium bromide treatment relieves autistic-like behavioral deficits in three mouse models of autism

Cécile Derieux , Audrey Léauté , Agathe Brugoux , Déborah Jaccaz , Claire Terrier et al.

Neuropsychopharmacology, 2022, 47 (9), pp.1680-1692. ⟨10.1038/s41386-022-01317-1⟩

Article dans une revue hal-03647444v1
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Nanobody-based sensors reveal a high proportion of mGlu heterodimers in the brain

Jiyong Meng , Chanjuan Xu , Pierre-André Lafon , Salomé Roux , Michaël Mathieu et al.

Nature Chemical Biology, 2022, 18, pp.894-903. ⟨10.1038/s41589-022-01050-2⟩

Article dans une revue hal-03699580v1
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Facilitating mGluR4 activity reverses the long-term deleterious consequences of chronic morphine exposure in male mice

Jérôme Aj Becker , Lucie P. Pellissier , Yannick Corde , Thibaut Laboute , Audrey Léauté et al.

Neuropsychopharmacology, 2021, 46, pp.1373-1385. ⟨10.1038/s41386-020-00927-x⟩

Article dans une revue hal-03140299v2
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The orphan receptor GPR88 blunts the signaling of opioid receptors and multiple striatal GPCRs

Thibaut Laboute , Jorge Gandía , Lucie P. Pellissier , Yannick Corde , Florian Rebeillard et al.

eLife, 2020, 9, ⟨10.7554/eLife.50519⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02898979v1
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The translational regulator FMRP controls lipid and glucose metabolism in mice and humans

Antoine Leboucher , Didier Pisani , Laura Martinez-Gili , Julien Chilloux , Patricia Bermudez-Martin et al.

Molecular metabolism, 2019, 21, pp.22-35. ⟨10.1016/j.molmet.2019.01.002⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02266400v1
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Back-translating behavioral intervention for autism spectrum disorders to mice with blunted reward restores social abilities

Camille Pujol , Lucie P. Pellissier , Céline Clément , Jérôme Becker , Julie Le Merrer

Translational Psychiatry, 2018, 8 (1), pp.1-15. ⟨10.1038/s41398-018-0247-y⟩

Article dans une revue hal-01970308v1
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Mu opioid receptor, social behaviour and autism spectrum disorder: reward matters

Lucie P. Pellissier , Jorge Gandia-Sanchez , Thibaut Laboute , Jérôme A.J. Becker , Julie Le Merrer

British Journal of Pharmacology, 2017, 175 (14), pp.1-41. ⟨10.1111/bph.13808⟩

Article dans une revue (article de synthèse) hal-01605908v1
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Differential behavioral and molecular alterations upon protracted abstinence from cocaine versus morphine, nicotine, THC and alcohol

Jérôme A.J. Becker , Brigitte L. Kieffer , Julie Le Merrer

Addiction Biology, 2017, 22 (5), pp.1205-1217. ⟨10.1111/adb.12405⟩

Article dans une revue hal-01595696v1
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Mice lacking GPR88 show motor deficit, improved spatial learning and low anxiety reversed by delta opioid antagonist

Aura Carole Meirsman , Julie Le Merrer , Lucie P. Pellissier , Jorge Diaz , Daniel Clesse et al.

Biological Psychiatry, 2016, 79 (11), pp.917-927. ⟨10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.020⟩

Article dans une revue hal-01594891v1
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Autistic-Like Syndrome in Mu Opioid Receptor Null Mice is Relieved by Facilitated mGluR4 Activity

Jérôme Aj Becker , Daniel Clesse , Coralie Spiegelhalter , Yannick Schwab , Julie Le Merrer et al.

Neuropsychopharmacology, 2014, 39 (9), pp.2049-2060. ⟨10.1038/npp.2014.59⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02266436v1

Impaired Hippocampus-Dependent and Facilitated Striatum-Dependent Behaviors in Mice Lacking the Delta Opioid Receptor

Julie Le Merrer , Xavier Rezai , Grégory Scherrer , Jérôme Aj. Becker , Brigitte L Kieffer

Neuropsychopharmacology, 2013, 38 (6), pp.1050-1059. ⟨10.1038/npp.2013.1⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02266437v1
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In Vivo Visualization of Delta Opioid Receptors upon Physiological Activation Uncovers a Distinct Internalization Profile

Lauren Faget , Eric Erbs , Julie Le Merrer , Gregory Scherrer , Audrey Matifas et al.

Journal of Neuroscience, 2012, 32 (21), pp.7301 - 7310. ⟨10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0185-12.2012⟩

Article dans une revue hal-01899922v1

Cues predicting drug or food reward restore morphine-induced place conditioning in mice lacking delta opioid receptors

Julie Le Merrer , Lauren Faget , Audrey Matifas , Brigitte L. Kieffer

Psychopharmacology, 2012, 223 (1), pp.99-106. ⟨10.1007/s00213-012-2693-1⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02266441v1
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Cholecystokinin knock-down in the basolateral amygdala has anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in mice

Caroline del Boca , Pierre-Eric Lutz , Julie Le Merrer , Pascale Koebel , Brigitte Kieffer

Neuroscience, 2012, 218, pp.185-195. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.022⟩

Article dans une revue hal-02437990v1
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Reward processing by the opioid system in the brain.

Julie Le Merrer , Jérôme A. J. Becker , Katia Befort , Brigitte L. Kieffer

Physiological Reviews, 2009, 89 (4), pp.1379-412. ⟨10.1152/physrev.00005.2009⟩

Article dans une revue (article de synthèse) inserm-00438654v1

Self-administration of the GABA(A) agonist muscimol into the medial septum: dependence on dopaminergic mechanisms.

Stéphanie Gavello-Baudy , Julie Le Merrer , Laurence Decorte , Vincent David , Pierre Cazala

Psychopharmacology, 2008, 201 (2), pp.219-28. ⟨10.1007/s00213-008-1263-z⟩

Article dans une revue istex inserm-00350880v1

Systematic gene expression mapping clusters nuclear receptors according to their function in the brain.

Françoise Gofflot , Nathalie Chartoire , Laurent Vasseur , Sami Heikkinen , Doulaye Dembélé et al.

Cell, 2007, 131 (2), pp.405-18. ⟨10.1016/j.cell.2007.09.012⟩

Article dans une revue hal-00187825v1

First evidence of a delay-dependent working memory-enhancing effect of modafinil in mice

Daniel Béracochéa , Barbara Cagnard , Celerier Aurélie , Julie Le Merrer , Michel Pérès et al.

NeuroReport, 2001, 12 (2), pp.375-378. ⟨10.1097/00001756-200102120-00038⟩

Article dans une revue hal-04228813v1
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Phénotypage de la maturation hypophysaire. Impact de l'allaitement artificiel

Elodie Chaillou , Mélanie Kraemer , Céline Parias , Mathieu Fonteneau , Jérôme Becker et al.

Journées d’animation scientifiques du Département Physiologie Animale et Systèmes d’Elevage, May 2022, Poitiers, France

Communication dans un congrès hal-03752742v1

Effect of orphan GPR88 on delta opioid signaling <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em>

Lucie P. Pellissier , Jorge Gandía , A.C. Meirsman , J. Díaz , D. Clesse et al.

4. Annual Meeting of the GDR 3545 "RCPG-Physio-Med", Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). FRA., Nov 2015, Toulouse, France

Communication dans un congrès hal-02742607v1
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Delta Opioid Receptors: Learning and Motivation

Lucie P. Pellissier , Camille Pujol , Jérôme Aj Becker , Julie Le Merrer

Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 247, Editions Springer, pp.227-260, 2018, Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, ⟨10.1007/164_2016_89⟩

Chapitre d'ouvrage inserm-01437672v1