Developmental Brain Physiology and Pathology

A great challenge for our comprehension of the brain development is to identify how different biological signals converge and drive the maturation of excitatory synapses in the healthy and diseased brain. The goal of our lab is to use a multi-scale approach to decrypt the molecular mechanisms underpinning the maturation of the glutamatergic NMDA receptor-mediated signaling. How is this signaling regulated by scaffold proteins, transmembrane partners (e.g. dopamine receptors), molecules from the extracellular space, and the immune system? In addition, we investigate the instrumental role(s) of these molecular complexes in models of psychosis, in order to propose innovative therapeutical strategies.