Team

Biophotonics and Pathophysiology of Synapses (BioPSy)

Scientific activity

We study the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms that control synaptic activity and neuronal circuit dynamics in the normal and pathological brain.

Our approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on the expertise of our physicists and neurobiologists.

We use conventional techniques in optical microscopy, electrophysiology, cellular and molecular biology, analytical separation methods, etc., and are developing new detection methods based on quantum sensors of neuronal electrical activity using nitrogen-lacune colored centers implanted in diamond nanopillars.

We are conducting our research in particular on different mouse models of the neuropsychiatric diseases on which we are working, such as schizophrenia and autistic spectrum disorders, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

© François Treussart, 2016.

Figure: Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs, red spots) internalized in mouse hippocampal neurons.
Bottom panel: kymograph showing the movement of FNDs 1 and 2, alternating constant-speed displacements
and pauses typical of those induced by molecular motors.