Jonathan Brouillette, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of research
Department of pharmacology and physiology, Université de Montréal
514 338-2222 #3359
jonathan.brouillette@umontreal.ca
Training
2011 — Postdoctoral fellow — Neurosciences — Yale University
2007 — Postdoctoral fellow — Neurosciences — Université de Lille 2, Université de Louvain
2001 — PhD — Neurosciences — McGill University
1999 — MSc — Neurosciences — Université de Montréal
1996 — BSc — Biochimie — Université de Montréal
Research interests
Our lab conducts research on Alzheimer's disease and memory problems that arise with age. The primary objective of our research is to find molecules with abnormal functioning in the brain cells of elderly who have memory loss or Alzheimer's disease. Finding these molecules that cause these memory deficits would contribute to the development of drugs that can stop or decrease Alzheimer's disease progression.
Methodological approaches
Animal model, animal behavior test, electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), stereotaxis, in vivo injection, western blot, immunohistochemistry, microscopy, quantitative real-time PCR, microarray, cell culture, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, optogenetics, laser microdissection.
Fundings
Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Title: The impact of amyloid-induced neurodegeneration on sleep features and memory processes
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 810,000
Years: 2020 - 2025
Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Title: Reducing the activity of the phosphatase STEP to improve memory performance during aging
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 150,000
Years: 2020 - 2023
Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Title: Neuroligin-1 as a new molecular substrate of the phosphatase STEP, and its involvement in memory formation and homeostatic synaptic plasticity
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 186,000
Years: 2016 - 2023
Grant from the Weston Brain Institute
Title: Identification of blood biomarkers to detect early Alzheimer's disease
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 300,000
Years: 2020 - 2023
Grant from the Quebec Network for Research on Aging
Title: The soluble fragment of neuroligin-1 as a biomarker of prodromal Alzheimer's disease
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 24,000
Years: 2019 - 2022
Grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation
Title: Laser microdissection and optogenetics systems for discovery of molecular mechanisms underlying memory decline in aging
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 275,000
Years: 2018 - 2023
Junior 2 salary award from the Quebec Research Fund - Health
Title: Study of molecular and cellular changes that lead to cognitive decline in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease
Role: Principal investigator
Amount: $ 303,086
Years: 2020 - 2024
My team
Audrey Hector, M.Sc.
Ph.D. candidate
Tra-My Vu, M.Sc.
Ph.D. candidate
Nicolas Lavoie, B.Sc.
M.Sc. candidate
Clara Charbonneau, B.Sc.
M.Sc. candidate
Boris Popov, B.Sc.
M.Sc. candidate
Khadija Bouamira, B.Sc.
B.Sc. candidate
Chahinez-Anissa Menaouar, B.Sc.
B.Sc. candidate
Selected publications
Hector A & Brouillette J (2021) Hyperactivity induced by soluble amyloid-β oligomers in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 13: 600084
Dufort-Gervais J, Provost C, Charbonneau L, Norris C, Calon F, Mongrain V & Brouillette J (2020) Neuroligin-1 is altered in the hippocampus of Alzheimer’s disease patients and mouse models, and modulates the toxicity of amyloid-beta oligomers. Scientific Reports, 10:6956
Hector A, McAnulty C, Piché-Lemieux MÉ, Alves-Pires C, Buée-Scherrer V, Buée L & Brouillette J (2020) Tau hyperphosphorylation induced by the anesthetic agent ketamine/xylazine involved the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. FASEB J, 34:2968-2977
Dufort-Gervais J, Mongrain V & Brouillette J (2019) Bidirectional relationships between sleep and amyloid-beta in the hippocampus. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 160:108-117
Castonguay D, Dufort-Gervais J, Ménard C, Chatterjee M, Quirion R, Bontempi B, Schneider JS, Arnsten AFT, Nairn A, Norris CM, Ferland G, Bézard E, Gaudreaud P, Lombroso P & Brouillette J (2018) The tyrosine phosphatase STEP is involved in age-related memory decline. Current Biology; 28(7): 1079-1089
Xu J, Chatterjee M, Baguley TD, Brouillette J, Kurup P, Ghosh D, Kanyo J, Zhang Y, Seyb K, Ononenyi C, Foscue E, Anderson GM, Gresack J, Cuny GD, Glicksman MA, Greengard P, Lam TT, Tautz L, Nairn AC, Ellman JA & Lombroso PJ (2014) Inhibitor of the tyrosine phosphatase STEP reverses cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. PLoS Biology; 12(8): e1001923
Brouillette J (2014) The effects of soluble Aβ oligomers on neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Current Pharmaceutical Design; 20(15): 2506-2519
Carty N, Xu J, Kurup P, Brouillette J, Goebel-Goody SM, Austin DR, Yuan P, Chen G, Correa PR, Pittenger C & Lombroso P (2012) The tyrosine phosphatase STEP: implications in schizophrenia and the molecular mechanism underlying antipsychotic medications.Translational Psychiatry; 2: e137 1-11
Brouillette J, Caillierez R, Zommer N, Alves-Pires C, Benilova I, Blum D, De Strooper B, Buée L (2012) Neurotoxicity and memory deficits induced by soluble low-molecular-weight amyloid-β1-42 oligomers are revealed in vivo by using a novel animal model. Journal of Neuroscience; 32(23): 7852–7861
Le Freche H*, Brouillette J* [First Co-Author], Fernandez-Gomez F, Patin P, Caillierez R, Zommer N, Sergeant N, Buée-Scherrer V, Lebuffe G, Blum D & Buée L (2012) Tau phosphorylation and sevoflurane anesthesia: an association to postoperative cognitive impairment. Anesthesiology; 116(4): 779-787
Benoit CE, Bastianetto S, Brouillette J, Tse Y, Boutin JA, Delagrange P, Wong T, Sarret P & Quirion R (2010) Loss of quinone reductase 2 function selectively facilitates learning behaviors. Journal of Neuroscience; 30(38): 12690-12700
Brouillette J & Quirion R (2008) Transthyretin: a key gene involved in the maintenance of memory capacities during aging. Neurobiology of Aging; 29(11): 1721-1732
Brouillette J, Young D, During MJ & Quirion R (2007) Hippocampal gene expression profiling reveals the possible involvement of Homer1 and GABAB receptors in scopolamine-induced amnesia. Journal of Neurochemistry; 102(6): 1978-1989
Projects
Specific research topics include the effect of amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers on sleep in aging, the impact of Aβ oligomers on different hippocampal cell types, the role of STEP phosphatase on social memory and early blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. We use state of the art equipment to perform laser microdissection, optogenetics, molecular / cell biology and behavioral testing with various animal models.