Description du sujet de thèse

The successful candidate will be involved in a collaborative project on spatial orientation, dedicated to studying the head direction circuit in the mouse brain.
In particular, the presubiculum is crucial for head direction coding and the integration of vestibular and visual sensory signals. But the contribution of interneurons and cholinergic signals to the brain wide circuit dynamics and to the intrinsic properties of specific populations of head direction neurons remains largely unknown. The appointee will focus on the function of the neural network, during the maturation and myelination of the spatial orientation system. The overall aim is to advance our understanding of multisensory integration for coordinated head direction signaling.

Contexte de travail

The Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (INCC) is a CNRS & Université Paris Descartes mixed research unit with a strong, but not exclusive, focus on basic research in neurobiology, neurophysiology and behavioural/cognitive neuroscience, with electrophysiological and optical approaches. The INCC offers access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and core facilities (microscopy), and the candidate will have the opportunity to interact with the community at the local, Parisian, and European level.

Informations complémentaires

Applicants should hold a Masters degree with a background in computational or systems neuroscience, biology, physics or engineering. The ideal candidate wishes to develop practical skills for ex vivo and in vivo experimental work, and has a desire to understand the principles underlying the functioning of the nervous system.

She/he will use multi-unit electrophysiological recordings (Neuropixels) in the awake animal, slice electrophysiology (patch clamp) and optogenetics. Other techniques used in the lab, including behavioral and anatomical analysis, may complement this approach as needed. Programming skills for electrophysiological data analysis are required.

The candidate will be enrolled with the doctoral school Ed3C PhD program, Université Paris Cité.