Team “Sleep, clocks, light and neuropsychiatry”
Patrice Bourgin
email: pbourgin[at]unistra.fr
Our lab conducts translational research on interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms, and neuropsychiatric disorders using a developmental approach. Animal studies are performed at INCI and human studies at CIRCSom. We investigate mechanisms regulating sleep–wake cycles and brain function to develop chronotherapeutic interventions for neuropsychiatric conditions.
Research areas: Sleep disorders ; Circadian rhythms ; Neuropsychiatry.
Techniques: Chronotherapy ; Molecular biology ; Electrophysiology ; Behavioral tests.
INCI Website of Team “Sleep, clocks, light and neuropsychiatry”
Team "Peptidergic Control of Emotions"
Alexandre Charlet
email: acharlet[at]unistra.fr
Our lab is interested in the oxytocinergic modulation of neuronal circuits underlying emotions. Using in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiology and calcium imaging combined with selective optogenetic manipulation of oxytocinergic neurons or local astrocytes, we currently examine how neuropeptides tunes, in both shapes and functions, the neuro-glia network involved in the emotional processes.
Research areas: Circuits underlying emotions ; Neuro-glia interactions ; Oxytocinergic system ; Stress ; Pain ; Anxiety ; Social interactions.
Techniques: Ex vivo and in vivo electrophysiology ; Ex vivo an in vivo calcium imaging ; Fiber photometry ; Multi-electrodes array ; Behavioral tests ; Optogenetics ; Chemogenetics ; Histology.
Team "Light, Vision and the Brain"
Marie-Paule Felder-Schmittbuhl & Frank Pfrieger
email: feldermp[at]unistra.fr & frank.pfrieger[at]unistra.fr
Our team is studying the importance of light in the synchronization of daily physiological functions, both in the brain and in the eye, and the role that the retina plays in these processes. In today’s society, which is subject to chronic time-shift effects (“social jet lag,” shift work, etc.), we are specifically studying the health impacts of repeated exposure to abnormal light cycles: effects on the retina, on food intake and metabolism, and on addictive and aggressive behaviors.
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Team "Intracellular membrane trafficking in the nervous and neuroendocrine systems"
Stéphane Gasman & Nicolas Vitale
email: gasman[at]unistra.fr & vitalen[at]unistra.fr
Our team investigates the molecular mechanisms regulating membrane trafficking and vesicle dynamics during neurotransmission and hormone secretion. Using neuronal and neuroendocrine cells, we particularly focus on how lipid remodelling cooperates with protein activity to control vesicular transport, exocytosis, endocytosis and membrane recycling. We also investigate how alterations in these mechanisms contribute to several pathologies including neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders and neuroendocrine diseases.
Research areas: Neurosecretion ; Membrane trafficking ; Calcium-regulated exocytosis ; Endocytosis and vesicle recycling ; Calcium homeostasis ; Membrane contact sites ; Lipid transfer and asymmetry ; Vesicle fusion.
Techniques: Advanced cell imaging ; High-resolution microscopy ; Biochemistry ; Electrochemistry ; Cell biology ; Molecular biology ; Primary culture ; Brain slices ; Lipid analysis and tools ; Calcium imaging.
INCI Website of Team "Intracellular membrane trafficking in the nervous and neuroendocrine systems"
Team "Physiology of Neural Networks"
Philippe Isope
email: isope[at]unistra.fr
Our lab investigates how functional microcircuits within the brain coordinate to generate complex behaviors. We study the organization and dynamics of neural networks in the cerebellum, olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, and spinal cord, as well as their dysfunction in neurological and psychiatric disorders, including ALS, schizophrenia, and movement disorders.
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Team “Opioid System, Nociception and Pain”
Dominique Massotte
email: d.massotte[at]unistra.fr
Our research addresses alterations occurring in the endogenous opioid controls in neuropathic conditions to determine their impact on the effectiveness of opiate treatments. To this aim, we characterize changes contributing to the development of maladaptive responses at molecular, cellular, connectivity, and behavioural levels using a wide range of complementary techniques.
Research areas: Nociception ; Pain ; Opioid pharmacology.
Techniques: Pharmacology ; Mass spectrometry ; Ex vivo Electrophysiology ; Calcium imaging ; Behavioral tests in mice ; Histology ; Biochemistry ; Primary cultures ; Optogenetics.
Team “Regulation and disruption of neuroendocrine rhythms”
Valérie Simonneaux & Etienne Challet
email: simonval[at]unistra.fr & challet[at]unistra.fr
Our lab investigates how organisms adapt or maladapt to environmental changes by leveraging the diversity of physiological rhythmic processes across diverse animal species. We study daily and seasonal rhythmicity of metabolic and reproductive functions and assess the deleterious effects of environmental disruption, including artificial light, jet lag, unbalanced diets, and endocrine disruptors, on fertility and metabolic health.
Research areas: Chronobiology ; Neuroendocrinology.
Techniques: Actimetry ; Calorimetry ; Brain histology ; Fiber photometry ; Calcium imaging ; Behavioural tests ; Metabolic tests ; Hormonal assays ; CRISPR-Cas9 edition.
INCI Website of Team “Regulation and disruption of neuroendocrine rhythms”
Team "Neuroanatomy, Pain & Psychopathology"
Ipek Yalcin
email: yalcin[at]unistra.fr
Our research focuses on chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain and its comorbidities, as well as its pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. Using genomic and epigenomic approaches, we investigate molecular mechanisms underlying chronic pain and opioid dependence. The team has also strong expertise in neuroanatomy and the neural circuits involved in pain processing, emotional regulation, and aminergic system control.
Research areas: Pain & depression ; Pain therapies ; Opioid addiction ; Neuroanatomy ; Aminergic systems.
Techniques: Behavioural tests ; Optogenetic ; Histology ; Fiber photometry ; Next-generation sequencing ; In vivo electrophysiology.
INCI Website of Team "Neuroanatomy, Pain & Psychopathology"