Dr. Seillier is a neuroscientist, with expertise in pre-clinical neuropsychopharmacology and in-depth insight into multiple behavioral paradigms and animal models. His overarching research theme centers on understanding the neuropsychopharmacology underpinnings of social withdrawal associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, schizophrenia in particular.

Dr. Seillier received his B.Sc. in Biology (Cellular Biology and Physiology) from Henry Poincaré University (Nancy, France) and his M.Sc. in Neurosciences (Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences) from Louis Pasteur University (Strasbourg, France). He then obtained a doctoral fellowship allocated by the French Ministry of National Education, Research and Technology to continue his research training in Strasbourg, where he completed his Ph.D. in Neurosciences in 2004.

As a postdoctoral fellow, he has been instrumental in establishing the schizophrenia research in the laboratory of Prof. Giuffrida. (San Antonio, Texas). As an outgrowth of this task, he was actively involved in redefining the “cannabinoid hypothesis of schizophrenia”, and received several awards by the Society of Neuroscience in recognition of the scientific relevance of this work. Given his achievements, Dr. Seillier was promoted to a research-track faculty position in 2010. As an Instructor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, he focused his research on the role played by the endocannabinoid system in schizophrenia, with a special emphasis on the negative symptomatology of this disease.

Prior to join the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Seillier was a micro-entrepreneur and served as an independent consultant (after moving back to Europe). He is also the founder of CogitActive.

Training and practice

1999 - 2004:        Ph.D. Student in the Laboratory of Prof. Bruno Will (University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France)

2005 - 2010:        Postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Prof. Andrea Giuffrida (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA)

2010 - 2015:        Instructor in the Department of Pharmacology (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA)

2017 - 2018:        Scientific writer consultant

2018 - 2020:        Micro-entrepreneur (Pulnoy, France)

2020 - present:    Group leader in RP1 Experimental Neurobiology (National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic)

Pedagogical activities

1999 - 2002:        Instructor (College Teaching Initiation) in the Department of Psychology and Sciences of Education (University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France)

1999 - 2003:        Teaching assistant in the Department of Continuous Training (University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France)

2002 - 2003:        Research and teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology and Sciences of Education (University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France)

Publication

Selected publications

Seillier A, Martinez AA, Giuffrida A. Differential effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol dosing on correlates of schizophrenia in the sub-chronic PCP rat model. PLoS One. 2020 15(3):e0230238. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230238. IF=2.8

Seillier A, Giuffrida A. The cannabinoid transporter inhibitor OMDM-2 reduces social interaction: Further evidence for transporter-mediated endocannabinoid release. Neuropharmacology. 2018 130:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.032. IF=5.0

Seillier A, Giuffrida A. Anxiety does not contribute to social withdrawal in the subchronic phencyclidine rat model of schizophrenia. Behav Pharmacol. 2017 28(7):512-520. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000325. IF=2.2

Matricon J, Seillier A, Giuffrida A. Distinct neuronal activation patterns are associated with PCP-induced social withdrawal and its reversal by the endocannabinoid-enhancing drug URB597. Neurosci Res. 2016 110:49-58. doi: 10.1016/j.neures.2016.04.004. IF=2.1

Seillier A, Giuffrida A. Disruption of social cognition in the sub-chronic PCP rat model of schizophrenia: Possible involvement of the endocannabinoid system. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016 26(2):298-309. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.12.009. IF=4.2

Seillier A, Martinez AA, Giuffrida A. Phencyclidine-induced social withdrawal results from deficient stimulation of cannabinoid CB₁ receptors: implications for schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013 38(9):1816-24. doi: 10.1038/npp.2013.81. IF=7.8

Seillier A, Giuffrida A. Inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase modulates anxiety-like behavior in PCP-treated rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2011 98(4):583-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.03.010. IF=2.5

Seillier A, Advani T, Cassano T, Hensler JG, Giuffrida A. Inhibition of fatty-acid amide hydrolase and CB₁ receptor antagonism differentially affect behavioural responses in normal and PCP-treated rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2010 13(3):373-86. doi: 10.1017/S146114570999023X. IF=4.7

Seillier A, Giuffrida A. Evaluation of NMDA receptor models of schizophrenia: divergences in the behavioral effects of sub-chronic PCP and MK-801. Behav Brain Res. 2009 204(2):410-5. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.02.007. IF=3.2

All publications