CIRB, Collège de France
 Synapses |  Parallel fiber/Purkinje cell synapses labelled using an anti-vGluT1 antibody (red) |  Climbing fiber/Purkinje cell synapses labelled using an anti-vGluT2 antibody (red) |
|---|---|---|
 Reconstructed Purkinje cell from a juvenile mouse cerebellum |
The goal of our team is to understand the mechanisms that control the development and maturation of a functional brain. Answering this fundamental question will help increase our knowledge of the mechanisms that could be deficient in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism or schizophrenia, and the long-term impact of the early life environment on brain function.
The brain is composed of many different types of neuronal populations that form functional networks by establishing specific synapses. Indeed, synapses are complex macromolecular structures with different morphological and functional characteristics, depending on the types of neurons that they connect. Our team's aim is to identify the molecular determinants of synapse diversity, how they are modulated by the early life environment and understand how these determinants contribute to normal network formation and function in the mammalian brain.
Art by Delphine Gauly
Our recent work unravels the step-by-step molecular diversification of excitatory synapses on cerebellar Purkinje cells during postnatal development. It also show that different synapse types follow different rules, leading to a new model for synapse specification during the development of the mammalian brain. These findings also have implications for the study of the consequences of genetic mutations and early life environmental changes on the development and function of the mammalian brain.
Our work is supported by
