Team research topics:

 The cerebellum contains more than half of the neurons in the brain and it is one of the largest cerebral structures. The cerebellum has been compared to an adaptive filter, able to finely tune the actions of the body to the environment. The operations performed in its circuit have been analyzed for elementary reflexes (eyeblink conditioning, vestibulo-ocular reflex, saccade adaptation, etc…). Still, the largest part of the cerebellum is engaged in a dialog with the major anterior brain structures (cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system), which function and organization are not well understood. Moreover, clinical evidence indicates that this dialog is disrupted in many neurological diseases and that the cerebellum may be a target for corrective treatments. The center of our interest therefore focuses on the function of the cerebellum in these wide brain circuits. Our goal is to understand the nature and the function of the reciprocal communication between the cerebellum and the forebrain. For this purpose, we use a multi-scale approach combining the analysis of the cellular physiology and of the network activity in the circuits linking the cerebellum and the cortex in normal and pathological conditions.

Main techniques used:

We combine a variety of techniques including opto- and pharmaco-genetics, in vivo electrophysiology in anesthetized and in behaving animals, anatomical tracing. We also make use of advanced signal processing and theoretical approaches.

Address :
46 Rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris

Team leader :
Clément Léna
Name of co-team leader :
Daniela Popa
Administrative Contact Name :
VILLA Tommaso

Website : Cliquez ici
Key words : #Cervelet #apprentissage #moteur #mémoire #peur #maladie #Parkinson #dystonies #Cerebelllum #motor #skill #learning #fear #memory #Parkinson #Disease #Dystonia