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Pothitos M. Pitychoutis

Associate Professor

Full-Time Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences: Biology

Contact

Email: Pothitos M. Pitychoutis
Phone: 937-229-2287
SC 223B
Website: Visit Site
Curriculum Vitae: Read CV

Profile

Dr. Pothitos Pitychoutis earned a B.Sc. in Biology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece in 2005, and an M.Sc. in Molecular Medicine/Neurobiology and a Ph.D. in 2010 from the Medical School of the same University. The next year he served as junior lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology of the Medical School of Athens and afterward he pursued postdoctoral training at INSERM UMR-839, Institut du Fer à Moulin in Paris, France, on the basis of a Neuropôle de Recherche Francilien (NeRF) fellowship and at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Greece (BRFAA). In 2013 Dr. Pitychoutis joined the Department of Biology in Neuroscience.

Professional affiliations

  • Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
  • Ohio Miami Valley SfN Chapter (OMV-SfN): Officer-at-Large
  • Hellenic Society for Neurosciences (HSFN)
  • Greek Society of Pharmacology (GSP)
  • International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
  • European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)
  • Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
  • Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN)

Courses taught

  • Neurobiology (BIO415)
  • Neurobiology Laboratory (BIO415L)
  • Human Physiology (Physiology I; BIO403)
  • Neuropharmacology (BIO496/596)
  • Biology Sophomore Seminar (BIO299)

Research interests

Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology

Our research focuses on preclinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Studies in the Pitychoutis Lab seek to advance our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders. We use a constellation of preclinical behavioral paradigms, state-of-the-art neuromolecular techniques, and cutting-edge genetic mouse models to dissect novel calcium, serotonergic and sex-specific neurocircuits implicated in major depression, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Major research areas of the Pitychoutis Laboratory include:

  • Sex differences in the behavioral and neurobiological effects of the rapid-acting antidepressant drug ketamine
  • Mapping novel calcium circuits implicated in the neurobiology of ADHD
  • Deciphering the role of the serotonergic system in the neurobiology of major depression and schizophrenia
  • Sex differences in the neurobiology of stress and depression

Research Techniques

  • Behavioral mouse paradigms: open field; forced swim test, FST; novelty suppressed feeding, NSF; chronic mild stress, CMS; sucrose preference test; elevated plus maze, EPM; splash test; Morris water maze; social interaction test; novel object recognition, NOR; Y maze etc.)
  • Global and Cre-conditional knockout mouse models
  • EEG-based polysomnography for the assessment of sleep and wakefulness patterns in mice
  • Ex vivo neurochemical analyses (monoamines and neuroactive aminoacids) with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
  • In vivo brain microdialysis to assess drug-induced neurotransmitter release
  • Neuromolecular assays: RT-PCR, real-time qPCR, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, Golgi-Cox staining
  • Global transcriptomics analyses

Visit the Pitychoutis Lab website

Selected publications

Britzolaki A+, Saurine J+, Flaherty E, Thelen C, Pitychoutis PM (2018). The SERCA2: A Gatekeeper of Neuronal Calcium Homeostasis in the Brain. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, in press, DOI: 10.1007/s10571-018-0583-8 (+equal contribution).

Belmer A, Quentin E, Diaz SL, Guiard BP, Fernandez SP, Doly S, Banas SM, Pitychoutis PM, Moutkine I, Muzerelle A, Tchenio A, Roumier A, Mameli M, Maroteaux L (2018). Positive regulation of raphe serotonin neurons by serotonin 2B receptors. Neuropsychopharmacology, in press, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0013-0.

Choi SJ, Mukai J, Kvajo M, Xu B, Diamantopoulou A, Pitychoutis PM, Gou B, Gogos JA, Zhang H. (2017). A Schizophrenia-Related Deletion Leads to KCNQ2-Dependent Abnormal Dopaminergic Modulation of Prefrontal Cortical Interneuron Activity. Cerebral Cortex, in press, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx123.

Sens J, Schneider E, Mauch J, Schaffstein A, Mohamed S, Fazoli K, Saurine J, Britzolaki A, Thelen C, Pitychoutis PM (2017) Lipopolysaccharide administration induces sex-dependent behavioral and serotonergic neurochemical signatures in mice. Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior, 153:168-181.

Thelen C, Sens J, Mauch J, Pandit R, Pitychoutis PM, (2016) Repeated ketamine treatment induces sex-specific behavioural and neurochemical effects in mice. Behavioural Brain Research, 312:305-312.

Pitychoutis PM, Belmer A, Moutkine I, Adrien J, Maroteaux L. (2015) Mice Lacking the Serotonin Htr2B Receptor Gene Present an Antipsychotic-Sensitive Schizophrenic-Like Phenotype. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40(12):2764-73.

Franceschelli A, Sens J, Herchick S, Thelen C, Pitychoutis PM (2015) Sex differences in the rapid and the sustained antidepressant-like effects of ketamine in stress-naïve and "depressed" mice exposed to chronic mild stress. Neuroscience, 290:49-60; Ranked 8th among the “Hottest 25 Articles” of Neuroscience (January-March 2015).

Franceschelli A, Herchick S, Thelen C, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z, Pitychoutis PM (2014) Sex differences in the chronic mild stress model of depression. Behavioural Pharmacology, 25;372-383.

Pitychoutis PM, Sanoudou D, Papandreou M, Nasias D, Kouskou M, Tomlinson CR, Tsonis PA, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2014) Forced swim test induces divergent global transcriptomic alterations in the hippocampus of high versus low novelty-seeker rats. Human Genomics, 25;8(1):4; Annotated “Highly Accessed” Article.

Xilouri M, Brekk OR, Landeck N, Pitychoutis PM, Papasilekas T, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z, Kirik D, Stefanis L (2013). Boosting Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy mitigates alpha-synuclein-mediated neurodegeneration in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. Brain, 136: 2130-2146. 

Pitychoutis PM, Dalla C, Sideris A, Tsonis PA, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2012). 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C receptor mRNA modulation by antidepressant treatment in the chronic mild stress model of depression: sex differences exposed. Neuroscience 210: 152-167.

Xilouri M, Kyratzi E, Pitychoutis PM, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z, Vila M, Maniati M, Ulusoy A, Kirik D, Park D, Wada K, Stefanis L (2012). Selective neuroprotective effects of the S18Y polymorphic variant of UCH-L1 in the dopaminergic system. Human Molecular Genetics, 21(4):874-889. 

Pitychoutis PM, Pallis E, Mikail HG, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2011). Individual differences in novelty-seeking predict differential responses to chronic antidepressant treatment through sex- and phenotype-dependent neurochemical signatures. Behavioural Brain Research, 223(1):154-168.

Dalla C, Pitychoutis PM, Kokras N, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2010). Sex differences in the neurobiological substrate of depression and antidepressant response. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 106: 226-233.

Pitychoutis PM, Zisaki A, Dalla C, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2010). Pharmacogenetic insights into depression and antidepressant response: does sex matter? Current Pharmaceutical Design, 16: 2214-2223.

Pitychoutis PM, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2010). Of depression and immunity: does sex matter? International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 13: 675-689.

Pitychoutis PM, Griva E, Ioannou K, Tsitsilonis OE, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2009). Chronic antidepressant treatment exerts sexually dimorphic immunomodulatory effects in an experimental model of major depression: do females lack an advantage? International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 12: 1157-1163.

Pitychoutis PM, Nakamura K, Tsonis PA, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z (2009). Neurochemical and behavioral alterations in an inflammatory model of depression: sex differences exposed. Neuroscience, 159: 1216-1232.