Brain Fuel provides a space for PhD students and PostDocs of the Paris Brain Institute to present their most recent data. The goal of this internal event is to exchange feedback between speakers and experts within the Institute's community.
This event takes place every month, on Tuesdays, during lunchtime. Food and drinks are provided by the Ajités. The organizer of this event is Daniela Domingues.
Join the community!
If you are interested in participating as a speaker or helping in the organization, please contact the organizing team!
brainfuel@icm-institute.org
Upcoming Event
BrainFuel3005.pdfMay 30th @ 12 pm — Sophie Skriabine
Organisation, Development and Plasticity of the Cerebral Vasculature
The brain is densely perfused by the vascular network, which provides nutrients and oxygen to support neuronal function. The architecture of the cerebral vasculature addresses specific constrains of the neural tissues, including the near absence of energy storage and very high metabolic demand. Despite the clear observation that both the vascular density and the metabolic demands are heterogenous across the brain, whether and how neuronal activity controls the vascular topology is still debated for several reasons: first, there is no correlation between the densities of neurons and blood vessels. Second, the organization of the vascular and neuronal networks don’t match closely. Third, there is disagreement in the literature on whether modulating neuronal activity levels can lead to a remodeling of the vasculature or not. To better understand the relationship between the metabolic need of the different neural cell types and the topology of the adult vascular network, we built a 3D developmental atlas of the brain vasculature. For this, we generated the annotation maps and templates for the developing mouse brain to align vascular datasets onto. We next optimized a series of computational tools to measure and classify the organization of the different brain regions. We used these tools to generate a system’s view of the developmental trajectories for the various brain regions. Finally, we tested in different models of neuronal activity modulation its impact on the development and maintenance of the network. This work reveals how the vascular network can cater differently to the metabolic needs of both the developing and adult brain, and how cerebral networks shape the development and maintenance of the cerebral vasculature.
Archive of Previous Brain Fuels
February 7th — Sofia Carron-Falgarona
Spatio-temporal dynamics of cerebral anoxic processes
Global cerebral anoxia, following cardiopulmonary arrest or stroke, is a major cause of death, and most of resuscitated patients retain severe neurological deficits due to ischemic/anoxic cortical and subcortical lesions. The temporal sequence with which brain structures are affected by anoxia remains unknown and there is no neurophysiological marker allowing an early neurological prognosis after successful resuscitation. Based on a rodent model, my doctoral research aims to characterized specific electrical patterns within brain regions during the anoxic process and upon successful resuscitation. This work is an essential preclinical step to improve the early prognosis of patients with cerebral anoxia.
November 16th 2022 — Anjali Amrapali Vishwanath
The story of overworked mitochondria: Importance of calcium homeostasis in axonal mitochondria
You all might have heard it at some point- Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell! This is even more so in neurons. Neurons are by nature very active and highly dynamic - a lot can change very quickly! Therefore, in order to function well they also need their mitochondria to co-ordinate and keep up with them. Previously, it has been shown that during activity, axonal cytosolic calcium and its import into the mitochondria is required and central to this coordination. But what about mitochondrial calcium export? Is this important for neuronal function? If so, how?
In this project, we explore these questions (stumbling upon surprising results) combining genetic and optical tools with electrophysiological stimulation
November 19th 2022 — Maximilien Chaumon (for the Institute's Green Team)
Scientists' Actions Against Climate Change
The worldwide scientific community is at the forefront of understanding the ecological crisis, its anthropic origins, and ways to mitigate it and cope with it. But the immensity of the task, the complexity of the subject matter, and the felt lack of impact of individual actions are discouraging many in the scientific community. Many... but not all. Scientists are taking individual and collective actions to change their practice, and adapt to the upcoming new reality. This is an overview.
September 28th 2022 — Ulku Cuhadar
Activity-driven synaptic translocation of LGI1 controls excitatory neurotransmission
I developed novel optical tools to visualize in firing synapses the molecular behavior of a particular secreted trans-synaptic protein, LGI1, and its presynaptic receptor, ADAM23. I found that LGI1 in synapses was not secreted, as described elsewhere, but exo- and endocytosed through its interaction with ADAM23. Activity-driven translocation of LGI1 facilitated the formation of trans-synaptic connections proportionally to the history of activity of the synapse, modulating excitatory transmission. My findings reveal that LGI1 abundance at the synaptic cleft can be acutely remodeled and serves as a critical point of activity-dependent control of synaptic function.
Join-us on the 28/09 @ 12 pm in room 1-2 at the Paris Brain Institute.
