Dr. Marie-Claude Audet

Biography

Dr. Marie-Claude Audet is an Assistant Professor in nutrition, stress and mental health in the School of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Ottawa. She also holds an adjunct scientist appointment at the Institute of Mental Health Research (Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre) and an adjunct professor appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University. Before joining the University of Ottawa in 2017, Dr. Audet has a scientist position at the Institute of Mental Health Research (Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre) where she established a research program on the gut microbiota-immune-brain axis, stress, and mental health. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University during which she examined the contribution of brain inflammatory factors to stress-related disorders (depression, anxiety).

Dr. Audet’s current research aims to understand how early-life and adult stressful experiences may come to promote vulnerability to mental illnesses, with a specific focus on the gut microbiome-immune-brain axis. Her research examines the mechanistic underpinnings by which gut bacteria communicate with the brain under stressful conditions and come to influence mood and behavior. She also investigates the effects of microbiota-targeted interventions (e.g., probiotics, prebiotics) in limiting microbial, inflammatory, and depressive/anxiety effects stemming from stressor exposure. Dr. Audet shares collaborative relationships with researchers and clinicians in both fundamental and clinical disciplines. Her research work is being funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC Individual Discovery Grant) and the University of Ottawa Medical Research Fund.

Research Interests:

• Stress and the microbiota-immune-gut-brain axis
• Nutrition and mental health
• Microbiota-targeted interventions (probiotics/prebiotics) and brain function

Selected publications:

• Szyszkowicz, J.K., Anisman, H., Merali, Z., Wong, A., & Audet, M.C. (2017). Implications of the gut microbiota in vulnerability to the social avoidance effects of chronic social defeat in male mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 66, 45-55.
• Hayley, S., Audet, M.-C., & Anisman, H. (2016). Inflammation and the microbiome: Implications for depressive disorders. Current Opinions in Pharmacology, 29, 42-46.
• Audet, M.C., McQuaid, R.J., Merali, Z., & Anisman, H. (2014). Cytokine variations and mood disorders: influence of social stressors and social support. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 8:416.
• Audet, M.C. & Anisman, H. (2013). Interplay between pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors in depressive illnesses. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 7:68.
• Jacobson-Pick, S., Audet, M.C., McQuaid, R.J., Kalvapalle, R., & Anisman, H. (2013). Social agonistic distress in male and female mice: changes of behavior and brain monoamine functioning in relation to acute and chronic challenges. PLOS One, 8(4):e60133.
• McQuaid, R.J., Audet, M.C., Jacobson-Pick, S., & Anisman, H. (2013). Environmental enrichment influences brain cytokine variations elicited by social defeat in mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(7), 987-996.
• McQuaid, R.J., Audet, M.C., Jacobson-Pick, S., & Anisman, H. (2013). The differential impact of social defeat on mice living in isolation or groups in an enriched environment: plasma corticosterone and monoamine variations. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 16(2), 351-363.
• Jacobson-Pick, S., Audet, M.C., McQuaid, R.J., Kalvapalle, R., & Anisman, H. (2012). Stressor exposure of male and female juvenile mice influences later responses to stressors: Modulation of GABA_A receptor subunit expression. Neuroscience, 215, 114-126.
• McQuaid, R.J., Audet, M.C., & Anisman, H. (2012). Environmental enrichment in CD-1 mice promotes aggressive behaviors and elevated corticosterone and brain norepinephrine activity in response to a mild stressor. Stress, 15(3), 354-360.
• Audet, M.C., Jacobson-Pick, S., Wann, B.P., & Anisman, H. (2011). Social defeat promotes specific cytokine variations within the prefrontal cortex upon subsequent aggressive or endotoxin challenges. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 25(6), 1197-1205.
• Jacobson-Pick, S., Audet, M.C., Nathoo, N., & Anisman, H. (2011). Stressor experiences during the juvenile period increase stressor responsivity in adulthood: Transmission of stressor experiences. Behavioural Brain Research, 216(1), 365-374.
• Audet, M.C., Mangano, E.N., & Anisman, H. (2010). Behavior and pro-inflammatory cytokine variations among submissive and dominant mice engaged in aggressive encounters: moderation by corticosterone reactivity. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 4:156.
• Wann, B.P., Audet, M.C., & Anisman, H. (2010). Impact of acute and chronic stressor experiences on heart atrial and brain natriuretic peptides in response to a subsequent stressor experience. Hormones and Behavior, 58(5), 907-916.
• Audet, M.C. & Anisman, H. (2010). Neuroendocrine and neurochemical impacts of aggressive social interactions in submissive and dominant mice: implications for stress-related disorders. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 13(3), 361-372.
• Wann, B.P., Audet, M.C., Gibb, J., & Anisman, H. (2010). Anhedonia and altered cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide following chronic stressor and endotoxin treatment in mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35(2), 233-240.
• Gibb, J. Audet, M.C., Hayley, S., & Anisman, H. (2009). Neurochemical and behavioral responses to inflammatory immune stressors. Frontiers in Bioscience, S1, 275-295.
• Audet, M.C., Goulet, S., & Doré, F.Y. (2009). Impaired social motivation and increased aggression in rats subchronically exposed to phencyclidine. Physiology & Behavior, 96(3), 394-398.
• Marquis, J.-P., Audet, M.C., Doré, F.Y., & Goulet, S. (2007). Delayed alternation performance following subchronic phencyclidine administration in rats depends on task parameters. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 31(5), 1108-1112.
• Audet, M.C., Goulet, S., & Doré, F.Y. (2007). Enhanced anxiety follows withdrawal from subchronic exposure to phencyclidine in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 176(2), 358-361.
• Audet, M.C., Goulet, S., & Doré, F.Y. (2007). Transient hypolocomotion in rats repeatedly exposed to phencyclidine: an appraisal of motor function and motivation. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 31(1), 142-150.
• Audet, M.C., Goulet, S., & Doré, F.Y. (2006). Repeated subchronic exposure to phencyclidine elicits excessive atypical grooming in rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 167(1), 103-110.

Book chapters:

• Audet, M.C., Jacobson-Pick, S., McQuaid, R.J., & Anisman, H. An inflammatory perspective of stress and human depressive disorders. In: Handbook of Psychoneuroimmunology. A. Kusnecov & H. Anisman, eds. Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex, UK, 2013.
• Audet, M.C., & Goulet, S. Grooming syntax as a sensitive measure of the effects of subchronic PCP treatment in rats. In: Neurobiology of grooming behaviour. A. Kalueff, C. Bergner, & J. La Porte, eds. Cambridge University Press, 2010.