Major psychiatric disorders are still primarily diagnosed only after the emergence of clinical symptoms, often years after the underlying biological processes have begun. This presentation will explore how recognizing the neurodevelopmental dimension of conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, and recurrent severe major depression may reshape both psychiatric research and clinical practice.
More specifically, the presentation will discuss how genetic susceptibility and environmental factors interact throughout brain development and may progressively divert normal developmental trajectories, thereby increasing the risk of developing major psychiatric disorders. Although these neurodevelopmental deviations do not constitute clinical disease, they may be associated with subtle early neurodevelopmental changes. The identification and longitudinal assessment of biomarkers associated with these early neurodevelopmental changes may provide a unique opportunity to characterize developmental risk trajectories, improve our understanding of disease mechanisms, refine risk stratification, and ultimately guide the development of preventive strategies.
Drawing on examples from longitudinal high-risk cohorts and patient-derived cellular models, the presentation will illustrate how a neurodevelopmental framework can inspire innovative research strategies that may ultimately complement the current symptom-based approach to psychiatric diagnosis and care.
Speaker
Dr. Pierre Marquet is a physicist, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist whose research bridges advanced optical imaging, neurodevelopment, and clinical psychiatry. He is Professor of Psychiatry at Université Laval, researcher at the CERVO Brain Research Centre, and a former recipient of the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neurophotonics, a research program dedicated to advancing innovative optical technologies for investigating the neurodevelopmental dimension of major psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
An internationally recognized pioneer of digital holographic microscopy (DHM), Dr. Marquet has played a leading role in advancing DHM into a state-of-the-art platform for quantitative, label-free cellular phenotyping. This work has contributed to the identification of promising cellular biomarkers for bipolar disorder and is opening new avenues for biomarker discovery across major psychiatric disorders.
He currently directs the International Joint Unit in Neurodevelopment and Child Psychiatry, a joint research unit between Université Laval (Canada) and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). His research combines longitudinal family high-risk cohorts, patient-derived cellular models, and advanced quantitative optical imaging to identify early biomarkers and characterize developmental risk trajectories associated with major neuropsychiatric disorders.
Questions?
Contact: Ellie-Anna Minogianis
Training Program Manager, CanNRT
ellie-anna.minogianis@mcgill.ca
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About CanNRT Research Forums
The Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training (CanNRT) Platform’s Research Forums showcase the diverse work of CanNRT members. The Distinguished Speakers Series features presentations from esteemed international experts. Co-led by CanNRT trainees and the CanNRT team, these workshops promote collaboration and knowledge exchange on topics related to neurodevelopment and associated conditions.