Description du sujet de thèse

Title: Olfactory Brain Plasticity During Gestation and Maternity

Background:
Research over the past three decades has demonstrated that new neurons can be generated in the adult brain and integrate into complex pre-existing circuits. The process of adult neurogenesis is evolutionarily conserved across vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents, and primates. It is supported by a small population of undifferentiated cells, called neural stem cells, that persist as embryonic remnants in adult brains. These cells reside in tightly controlled microenvironments called “niches.”
Objectives of the PhD project:
The gestation and maternity periods in mammals open a window of important brain plasticity. We will explore the mechanisms by which new neurons integrate into the maternal olfactory bulb without disrupting the balance of existing circuits.
Activities:
The student will use various techniques to answer the biological question posed: - Immunostaining, FISH - Confocal and lightsheet imaging techniques - AAV manipulation of neural circuits and stereotaxic surgery - Cell culture - Animal behavior Skills:
Basic molecular biology techniques and experience with imaging. Previous experience in animal surgery is desired but not necessary.

Contexte de travail

The "Spatio-temporal Logic of Adult Neurogenesis" team is located within UMR 5242, at the Institute of Functional Genomics of Lyon (IGFL). It is a multidisciplinary institute, offering interesting exposure to several system models around common themes related to development, regeneration, evolution, and physiology. One of the institute's strengths is the quality of its single-cell and spatial imaging and transcriptomics platforms.
Our team is supported by funding from the Fondation pour la recherche médicale (FRM), ATIP-AVENIR, and ERC starting grants.

Contraintes et risques

No major risk