ANTOINE DEPAULIS

Neuroscience, Epileptology, Neurobiology, Electrophysiology, Animal models

I was trained as a Biologist at the University of Bordeaux and then Strasbourg where I obtained a PhD in Neuroscience in 1983. After a postdoc at Pr John Liebeskind's laboratory at UCLA (Los Angeles), I obtained a tenured position at Inserm (chargé de recherche) in 1986 in the laboratory of Pr Pierre Karli to work in the group of Dr Marguerite Vergnes. I obtained a second PhD in Pharmacology in 1990 and then the habilitation to supervise research (HDR) in 1994. I was promoted Junior Director of Research in 1999 and created my own team to work on neural circuits initiating or controlling epileptic seizures using animal models, in the Inserm Unit directed by Pr Christian Marescaux.

In 2003, I moved to Grenoble to set up a new translational research group with Pr Philippe Kahane to work on epilepsy at the Grenoble Institute for Neuroscience directed by Pr Claude Feuerstein. I was a deputy director of this Institute from 2010 to 2013 and was promoted Senior Director of Research in 2015. In 2021, I joined the team of Emmanuel Barbier, since I will retire in 2025.

During my career, I characterized two animal models of epilepsy : the Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rat from Strasbourg (GAERS) and the mouse model of Mesio-temporal lobe epilepsy induced by intra-hippocampal injection of kainate (KA-MTLE mouse). 

• David O, Guillemain I, Saillet S, Reyt S, Deransart C, Segebarth C, Depaulis A. Identifying Neural Drivers with Functional MRI: An Electrophysiological Validation. Plos Biol. 2008, 6(12):e315–2697.
• Heinrich C, Lähteinen S, Suzuki F, Laharie AM, Huber S, Häussler U, Haas C, Larmet Y, Castren E, Depaulis A. Increase in BDNF-mediated TrkB signaling promotes epileptogenesis in a mouse model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurobiol Dis. 2011, 42(1):35–47.
• Depaulis A, David O, Charpier S. The genetic absence epilepsy rat from Strasbourg as a model to decipher the neuronal and network mechanisms of generalized idiopathic epilepsies. J Neurosci Meth. 2016, 260:159–74.
• Pouyatos B, Nemoz C, Chabrol T, Potez M, Bräuer E, Renaud L, Pernet-Galay K, Estève F, David O, Kahane P, Laissue JA, Depaulis A, Serduc R. Synchrotron X-ray microtransections: a non invasive approach for epileptic seizures arising from eloquent cortical areas. Sci Reports. 2016, 6:27250.
• Jarre G, Altwegg-Boussac T, Williams MS, Studer F, Chipaux M, David O, Charpier S, Depaulis A, Mahon S, Guillemain I. Building Up Absence Seizures in the Somatosensory Cortex: From Network to Cellular Epileptogenic Processes. Cereb Cortex 2017, 27:4607–4623.
• Studer F, Laghouati E, Jarre G, David O, Pouyatos B, Depaulis A Sensory coding is impaired in rat absence epilepsy. J Physiol 597:951–966.
• Studer F, Jarre G, Pouyatos B, Nemoz C, Brauer-Krisch E, Muzelle C, Serduc R, Heinrich C, Depaulis A Aberrant neuronal connectivity in the cortex drives generation of seizures in rat absence epilepsy. Brain. 2022 Jun 30;145(6):1978-1991.
• Plutino S, Laghouati E, Jarre G, Depaulis A, Guillemain I, Bureau I. Barrel cortex development lacks a key stage of hyperconnectivity from deep to superficial layers in a rat model of Absence Epilepsy. Prog Neurobiol. 2024 Mar;234:102564

1995-2020        Leader of a translational research team including biologists and clinicians in Strasbourg, then Grenoble (since 2003).

1998-2003        Founder and General Secretary of Neurex a trinational network of 1,000 neuroscientists in the upper Rhine Valley (France, Germany, Switzerland), Strasbourg.

2002-2007        Founder and President of Club EpilepsieS, a french network of clinicians and scientists conducting research in Epileptology, France.

2004-2008        Founder and coordinator of GRACE, a working group on communication at the Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience.

2006-2009        Coordinator (PI) of a European consortium (STREP : Valapodyn) including 6 partners.

2010 - 2013      Deputy Director of the Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, in charge of communication.

Since 2005       Founder, advisor and Shareholder of SynapCell (Grenoble), a biotech company.

2012 - 2016      Coordinator of a workpackage in a FP7 European consortium (collaborative programme : Neurinox).

2014 - 2017      Coordinator of a working group in a COST European network (SYRA 3)

2014 - 2020      Member of the steering committee of a University Hospital Federation (NeuroPsyNov) in Grenoble.