Long-Range Plasticity of Neuronal Networks in the Adult Brain

ended

Brain plasticity is well studied in the developing and early life, but how experiences can reshape the brain during adulthood is still poorly understood. Non-invasive medical imaging techniques point to the existence of broad functional readjustments in adult brain networks. However, a good understanding of the biological underpinnings of this phenomenon is lacking. Deciphering the nature of adult brain structural readjustments may lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying many psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, and potentially lead to therapeutic alternatives for these highly prevalent diseases in a globally aging population. LongPlaNet seeks to study the dynamics of long-range projections in the adult brain. To reach this goal I will use an array of cutting-edge techniques allowing me to study WHOLE BRAIN CONNECTIVITY at a CELLULAR RESOLUTION in the context of ADULT BEHAVING MICE. I will start from a preliminary list I generated of candidate brain regions undergoing plastic readjustments following long-term sensory deprivation in the mouse. I will quantify using 3D whole brain imaging by light-sheet microscopy the structural changes of connectivity between these regions. I will then use RNA-seq and bioinformatic tools to find markers of neuronal plasticity. Finally, I will track by in vivo calcium imaging with two-photon microscopy the evolution of the receptor fields of neurons affected by plastic remodeling. The present action will pioneer the intersection of molecular, structural and functional characterization of a well known but poorly understood phenomenon of adult reorganization of neuronal networks.