Congratulations to Pr. Josselin Houenou, Marion Leboyer’s team, winner of the Matmut Prize for Medical Innovation 2022

It was in the prestigious setting of the Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris that the 10th Fondation de l’Avenir Awards ceremony took place. Researcher at the IMRB in Marion Leboyer’s team in the Imaging group, and at the Neurospin of the CEA in Saclay, psychiatrist at the Henri Mondor hospital, Professor Josselin Houenou was rewarded for his work on the use of neuroimaging (cerebral MRI) to study the anatomy and functioning of the brain, whether it is normal or with cognitive disorders. The goal is to understand the neuroanatomy of mental illnesses in order to improve or develop treatments. The team uses the knowledge gained from their neuroimaging studies to develop these treatments targeting the identified brain networks.

In bipolar disorder, the team identified abnormalities in the emotional network that allowed them to develop a new method for treating bipolar patients, functional MRI neurofeedback.

The team obtained for this technique, the financing by the Ministry of Health, of a randomized double-blind multicenter clinical trial, higher level of proof, for the treatment of residual symptoms of bipolar disorder (disabling symptoms without currently available treatment).

In schizophrenia, the team studied the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive and negative symptoms, and began a randomized controlled clinical trial of tDCS (direct current simulation) of the cerebellum in these symptoms.

Prospects include improving these treatments, expanding indications, and targeting patients most likely to benefit.

Major publications :

Laidi C, Floris DL, Tillmann J, Elandaloussi Y, Zabihi M, Charman T, Wolfers T, Durston S, Moessnang C, Dell’Acqua F, Ecker C, Loth E, Murphy D, Baron-Cohen S, Buitelaar JK, Marquand AF, Beckmann CF, Frouin V, Leboyer M, Duchesnay E, Coupé P, Houenou J for the EU-AIMS LEAP Group. Cerebellar atypicalities in autism ? Biological Psychiatry, in press (IF : 12.8)

Sarrazin S, Poupon C, Linke J, Wessa M, Phillips ML, Delavest M, Versace A, Jorge A, Guevara P, Duclap D, Duchesnay E, Mangin JF, Le Dudal K, Daban C, Hamdani N, d’Albis MA, Leboyer M, Houenou J. A multicenter tractography study of deep white matter tracts in bipolar disorder: psychotic features and interhemispheric disconnectivity. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014 Apr 1;71(4):388-96. (IF : 25.9)

d’Albis MA, Guevara P, Guevara M, Laidi C, Boisgontier J, Sarrazin S, Duclap D, Delorme R, Bolognani F, Czech C, Bouquet C, Ly-Le Moal M, Holiga S, Amestoy A, Scheid I, Gaman A, Leboyer M, Poupon C, Mangin JF, Houenou J. Local structural connectivity is associated with social cognition in autism spectrum disorder. Brain. 2018 Dec 1;141(12):3472-3481 (IF : 15.2)

Sarrazin S, Poupon C, Teillac A, Mangin JF, Polosan M, Favre P, Laidi C, D’Albis MA, Leboyer M, Lledo PM, Henry C, Houenou J. Higher in vivo Cortical Intracellular Volume Fraction Associated with Lithium Therapy in Bipolar Disorder: A Multicenter NODDI Study. Psychother Psychosom. 2019 Apr 5:1-6 (IF : 25.6)

Houenou J, Wessa M, Douaud G, Leboyer M, Chanraud S, Perrin M, Poupon C, Martinot JL, Paillere-Martinot ML. Increased white matter connectivity in euthymic bipolar patients: diffusion tensor tractography between the subgenual cingulate and the amygdalo-hippocampal complex.  Molecular Psychiatry, 2007. Nov; 12(11) : 1001-10. (IF: 16.0)