Team "Brain, Behavior and Neuromodulation"

Research topics

The main focus of our team is to understand the common pathophysiological mechanisms between different psychiatric and neurological diseases. For example, they are all characterized by large neuronal network dysfunction, especially within various loops linking cortical to subcortical structures. This may then explain the complexity of the clinical symptoms observed in those diseases due to its impact on multiple cognitive, motor and emotional dimensions.

In order to characterize the functional and neuroanatomical organization of those large scale networks, establish new brain stimulation strategies and better understand their mechanisms, our team currently develops new research project combining complementary fundamental and clinical approaches:

• Deep brain stimulation and sub-cortical networks: characterize common subcortical regions (subthalamic nucleus, anterior thalamic nucleus, locomotor mesencephalic areas) involved in various psychiatric and neurological pathologies (movement disorders, epilepsy, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders);
• Cortical and peripheral stimulation: mapping of neuronal circuits using anatomical (tractography) and functional (excitability) based on clinical recordings from epileptic, psychiatric and Crohn patients.

Techniques used :

• Ex vivo imaging: immunohistochemistry, neuronal track tracing
• In vivo neurophysiology: single and multiunit recordings, intracortical and epidural field potentials, electroencephalography (EEG), stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS).
• Neuroimaging: structural and functional MRI, positron emission tomography (PET), CT scan.
• Behavioural studies: cognitive neurosciences, behavioural and clinical phenotype characterisations.
• Neurostimulation: deep brain stimulation, direct cortical stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
• Data processing: modeling, signal and image processing.

Partners :