Presentation

One of the remarkable properties of the brain is its ability to modify the functioning of its networks. This property of plasticity is at the basis of the cognitive development of children and the normal aging of the elderly. On another time scale, these modifications also allow us to adapt daily to a constantly changing environment, both in terms of its sensory complexity and its changes in relation to the goal to be achieved. Our team studies plasticity and associated cognitive and behavioral changes throughout life (from development to aging) and with different models, in humans, animals and patients. These changes are studied using a multi-scale approach, from the neuron (electrophysiology) to the brain network (fMRI, PET, fNIRS) and behaviour, and concern different perceptive and cognitive systems.

One aspect of our research focuses on the plasticity of the executive and perceptive systems induced by sensory loss (in the case of deafness) and the impact of rehabilitation on this plasticity. This research is done in close collaboration with the ENT department of the Purpan hospital.

In children, we study the developmental plasticity of the executive system and social cognition and the influence of learning on this development. The effect of aging on the plasticity of working memory and episodic memory is studied in the non-human primate in a behavioral approach.

We are also interested in the role of oscillations of neuronal activity in auditory and multisensory brain processing and the role of thalamo-cortical networks in these processes, in humans and non-human primates. Finally, our team is strongly committed to the valorization of research on the rehabilitation of the deaf patient and the education of children through partnerships with hearing device manufacturers on the one hand and educational organizations on the other.

Projects

Publications (selection)

• Sadoun, A., Rosito, M., Fonta, C., Girard, P. (2019). Key periods of cognitive decline in a nonhuman primate model of cognitive aging, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Neurobiology of Aging, 74:1–14.
• Vittek, A.L., Juan, C., Nowak, L.G., Girard, P., Cappe, C. (2023). Multisensory integration in neurons of the medial pulvinar of macaque monkey. Cerebral Cortex, 33(8):4202–4215.
• Zoefel, B., Abbasi, O., Gross, J., Kotz, S.A. (2024). Entrainment echoes in the cerebellum. PNAS, 121:e2411167121.
• Adam, N., Blaye, A., Gulbinate, R., Chabe-Ferret, S., Farrer, C. (2022). A multidimensional evaluation of the benefits of an ecologically realistic training on preschoolers’ control and self-regulation: From behavior to the underlying theta neuro-oscillatory activity. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 216:105348.
• Strelnikov, K., Debladis, J., Salle, J., Valette, M., Cortadellas, J., Tauber, M., Barone, P. (2023). Amygdala hyperactivation relates to eating behavior: a potential indicator of food addiction in Prader-Willi syndrome. Brain Communication, 5(3).
• Karoui, K., Strelnikov, K., Payoux, P., Salabert, A.-S., Deguine, O., Barone, P., Marx, M. (2023). Cortical processing for sound location is restored after cochlear implantation in asymmetric hearing loss. Evidence from a PET H₂O₁₅ study. Cerebral Cortex, 5(1):2229–2244.

Funding