NeuroTime

Light, vision and the brain

Leaders: Dr. Marie-Paule FELDER-SCHMITTBUHL et Dr. Frank PFRIEGER
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

Our team is studies the importance of light in the synchronisation of daily physiological functions, both in the brain and in the eye, and the role that the retina plays in these processes. In the context of today's society, which is subject to chronic jet lag ("social jet lag", shift work, etc.), we are studying more specifically the health impacts of repeated exposure to aberrant light cycles: effects on the retina, on food intake and metabolism, on addictive and aggressive behaviour.

Regulation and disruption of neuroendocrine rhythms

Leader: Dr. Étienne CHALLET
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

The team's objectives are to analyze the mechanisms by which organisms adapt or maladapt to environmental change, taking advantage of the biodiversity of physiological processes used by different animal species. Team members study the mechanisms of daily and seasonal synchronization of metabolic and reproductive functions, and assess the impact of environmental perturbations (exposure to nocturnal light, acute or chronic time shifts, unbalanced diet, endocrine disruptors) on these rhythmic functions. This research will be carried out with a comparative approach on a variety of conventional (rat, mouse) and non-conventional (planaria, diurnal and seasonal rodents, large mammals) animal models.

Sleep,  Clock, Light & NeuroPsychiatry

Leader: Pr. Patrice BOURGIN
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

The team conducts translational research on the interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms and neuropsychiatry, with a developmental approach. Animal research is carried out at INCI, and human studies at CIRCSom (Strasbourg Civil Hospital). Sleep and sleep-wake synchronization have a major influence on mental health. Disorders linked to wakefulness, sleep and synchronization with light are conducive to numerous neuropsychiatric pathologies. The aim is to understand the mechanisms regulating the sleep-wake cycle and their impact on the brain and behavior, in order to develop chronotherapeutic interventions for these disorders.

Physiology of neural networks

Leader: Dr. Philippe ISOPE
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

The brain is modular, and some of its functions emerge from the interconnection and coordination between local and distant modules in these distributed networks. A given cortical area is made up of numerous functional modules working in parallel to process incoming information. One of the main challenges of current neuroscience remains to decipher the operational modes of these modules or “microcircuits”. Our team is focusing on several brain regions: the cerebellum, the olfactory bulb, the cerebral cortex and the spinal cord. We study :

• The microscopic organization and dynamics of individual modules in these regions.
• Mesoscale network interactions, i.e. how networks communicate with each other in awake animals.
• Network dysfunction in the context of psychiatric and neurological diseases (e.g. ALS, schizophrenia, movement disorders).

Central and peripheral mechanisms of neurodegeneration

Leader: Dr. Luc DUPUIS
Research unit: Inserm unit "Central and peripheral mechanisms of neurodegeneration" UMR_S 1118

Our laboratory aims at deciphering the pathological mechanisms that trigger Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Fronto-Temporal Dementia, two closely related fatal and currently untractable neurodegenerative diseases. Our originality lies in the study of the reciprocal interactions that occur between the central nervous system and the peripheral organs, and the general aim of understanding the myriad of signs and symptoms associated with these diseases.

Cognitive neuropsychology and physiopathology of schizophrenia

Leader: Dr. Anne GIERSCH
Research unit: Inserm unit "Cognitive neuropsychology and physiopathology of schizophrenia" UMR_S 1114

Research on the pathophysiology of psychiatric illnesses involves understanding what enables us to be connected to our environment, to be able to tell our story, to pay attention to our environment, to perceive it and to react to it in an adapted way. The alteration of these mechanisms raises questions about memory and time, which are explored in the unit, as well as psychological suffering and addiction-related symptoms.

Creativity, Science, Innovation

Leader: Pr. Thierry BURGER-HELMCHEN
Research unit: Bureau of Theoretical and Applied Economics (BETA) UMR 7522

The work of researchers in economics and management involved in the "Time in perception and action" theme aims to understand the behaviour of economic agents, taking into account their interactions (both on and off the market) and the risky and/or uncertain context in which they operate. Economists are particularly sensitive to the notion of behaviours, biases and noises that affect the decisions of individuals and their actions. This work is in line with the theories developed by Nobel Prize winners Richard Thaler, Daniel Kahneman and Vernon L. Smith. The Beta researchers use the methods of experimental economics in their work. The concept of time is used in the context of work on evolutionary economics and management, organisational change, individual routines and learning effects, ideation and the diffusion of innovations.

Intracellular membrane trafficking in the nervous and endocrine systems

Leaders: Dr. Stéphane GASMAN et Dr. Nicolas VITALE
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

We study the fundamental mechanisms of the temporal organisation and disorganisation of cell communication in the nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Indeed, this communication relies on the secretion of informative molecules, a process highly regulated in time by intense membrane trafficking (exocytosis, endocytosis, vesicular transport). We decipher the molecular mechanisms that control these different trafficking steps and reveal the alterations that underlie important pathologies (mental retardation, neuroendocrine cancers, obesity...). Using neurons, neuroendocrine cells or ependymal cells, we study more particularly the mechanisms that allow different lipids and proteins to control all the stages of the vesicle's life, from biogenesis to membrane fusion, including their transport within the cells.

Integrative Multimodal Imaging in Healthcare

Leader: Dr. Laura HARSAN
Research unit: Integrative Multimodal Imaging in Healthcare team (IMIS) within The Engineering science, computer science and imaging laboratory (iCube) UMR 7357

Plasticity of pain controls

Leader: Pr. Pierrick POISBEAU
Research unit: Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience (INCI) UPR 3212

Our basic and clinical research team is interested in issues related to pain in the newborn and the adult (NeuroPain theme), but also considers these issues from the perspective of temporality (NeuroTime): 1) Functional exploration of pain: pain is a life history, the functional exploration carried out in our studies takes into account the maturation of the nervous system as a function of age and other differences such as biological sex or biopsychosocial influences (genetics, socio-cultural influences, quality of life including sleep and work life rhythms). 2) Ontogeny of nociception: the sensory coding of pain in its perception, visualised by the different cerebral oscillations, can identify the establishment of pain consciousness. However, the shaping of the motor response may be more difficult to assess. It therefore requires chronobiological characterisation in its early expression. 3) Neurodevelopmental consequences of early life stresses: we analyse the respective impact of painful and (a priori) non-painful stresses on the health trajectory of newborns. In particular, we study the role of oxytocin and vasoactive intestinal peptide. The monitoring of these biomarkers during the first 1000 days of life seems to provide valuable information on the plasticity of the nociceptive system in the context of a traumatic life history in infancy.