CV Science

Laurent VENANCE PhD Neurosciences

Course and current status

Laurent VENANCE

Current Position

Director of Research 2nd Class (DR2) at INSERM

Group leader of  "Dynamic and Pathophysiology of Neuronal Networks”,

Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), CNRS/ UMR 7241 - INSERM U1050,

College de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France

 

Degree

1996 PhD in Neurosciences, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI).  

2005  HDR in Neurosciences, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI).

 

Career  

1996-1998 Post-doctorat in Pr. Peter Seeburg lab (Pr Hannah Monyer team) at the Max-Planck Institut, Heidelberg (Germany).

1998 tenure position Chargé de Recherche CR2 INSERM

2003 promoted Chargé de Recherche CR1 INSERM

2009 promoted Director of Research DR2 INSERM

 

Direction appointments

2008-2010 Co-direction (L Venance & JM Deniau) of the INSERM U667 (College de France, Paris)

2011- Group leader of “Dynamic and Pathophysiology of Neuronal Networks” (CIRB, College de France, Paris)

 

Technical expertise

-       Electrophysiology (in vitro & in vivo)

-       Single-cell RT-PCR

-       Imaging

 

 Teaching Activity

Master 2 at Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris)

Master 1 at University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris)

Consulting activity

CHDI-Inc (Los Angeles, USA) (2007-2010)

Neuroservice (Aix-en-Provence) (2008-2010)

 

Committee

Member of the scientific board of France Parkinson

 

Scientific societies

Society for Neurosciences

International Basal Ganglia Society

Société des Neurosciences françaises

Club des Ganglions de la Base

 

Best publications since beginning of the career

Venance L, Piomelli D, Glowinski J, Giaume C (1995) Inhibition by anandamide of gap junctions and intercellular calcium signalling in striatal astrocytes. Nature. 376(6541):590-4.

Venance L, Stella N, Glowinski J, Giaume C (1997) Mechanism involved in initiation and propagation of receptor-induced intercellular calcium signalling in cultured rat astrocytes. J Neurosci. 17(6):1981-92

Venance L, Rozov A, Blatow M, Burnashev N, Feldmeyer D, Monyer H (2000) Connexin expression in electrically coupled posnatal rat brain neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 97(18):10260-5.

Höfer T, Venance L, Giaume C (2002) Control and plasticity of intercellular calcium waves in astrocytes: a modeling approach. J Neurosci. 22(12):4850-9.

Vandecasteele M, Glowinski J, Venance L (2005) Electrical synapses between dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. J Neurosci. 25(2):291-8.

Fino E, Glowinski J, Venance L (2005) Bidirectional activity-dependent plasticity at corticostriatal synapses. J Neurosci. 25(49):11279-87.

Vandecasteele M, Glowinski J, Deniau JM, Venance L (2008) Chemical transmission between dopaminergic neuron pairs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105:4904-9.

Puente N, Cui Y, Lassalle O, Lafourcade M, Georges F, Venance L, Grandes P, Manzoni OJ. (2011) Polymodal activation of the endocannabinoid system in the extended amygdala. Nat Neurosci. 14(12):1542-7.

Recent publications

Puente N, Cui Y, Lassalle O, Lafourcade M, Georges F, Venance L, Grandes P, Manzoni OJ. (2011) Polymodal activation of the endocannabinoid system in the extended amygdala. Nat Neurosci. 14(12):1542-7.

Bosch C, Degos B, Deniau JM, Venance L (2011) Subthalamic nucleus high frequency stimulation generates a concomitant synaptic excitation-inhibition in substantia nigra pars reticulata. J Physiol 589:4189-207.

Goubard V, Fino E, Venance L (2011) Contribution of astrocytic glutamate and GABAuptake to corticostriatal information processing. J Physiol. 589:2301-19. Faculty of 1000-Must Read

Fino E, Paille V, Cui Y, Morera-Herreras T, Deniau JM, Venance L (2010) Distinct coincidence detectors govern the corticostriatal spike-timing-dependent plasticity. J Physiol. 588:3045-62.

Vandecasteele M, Glowinski J, Deniau JM, Venance L (2008) Chemical transmission between dopaminergic neuron pairs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105:4904-9.

Fino E, Deniau JM, Venance L (2008) Cell-specific spike-timing-dependent plasticity in GABAergic and cholinergic interneurons in corticostriatal rat brain slices. J Physiol. 586:265-82.

Recent reviews

Fino E, Venance L (2011) Spike-timing dependent plasticity in striatal interneurons. Neuropharmacology. 60(5):780-8.

Fino E, Venance L (2010) Spike-timing dependent plasticity in the striatum. Front Synaptic Neurosci. 10;2:6.

Vandecasteele M, Deniau JM, Glowinski J, Venance L (2007) Electrical synapses in basal ganglia. Rev Neurosci.;18(1):15-35.

Scientific summary

Our research is focused on the cellular basis of learning and memory in the basal ganglia, a set of subcortical nuclei implicated in the adaptive control of behavior. Reciprocally connected with the cerebral cortex and the limbic system, the basal ganglia participate to the detection of environmental cues and to the selection of appropriate actions based on motivation and expectancy of reward.

The pathological dysfunction of basal ganglia leads to major motor and cognitive disorders (Parkinson’s disease, choreic and dystonic involuntary movements, obsessive and compulsive disorders, Tourette’s syndrome, addiction…) for which no fully satisfying treatments are available yet. In a perspective fundamental and therapeutic, our group is focused on the analysis of the functional organization of the basal ganglia network, the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and the dynamic of the processes regulating information processing in this neuronal network.

The four main programs developed in the lab are the followings:

1) Encoding learning and memory. Short- and long-term synaptic plasticity within the basal ganglia network (mainly at the corticostriatal pathway) and its regulation by dopamine. The striatum is the main input nuleus of basal ganglia and the main target of dopamine innervation. Striatum acts as a coincidence detector of cortical and thalamic activities. Two main aspects are examined: the organization and functional properties of synaptic interactions (chemical and electrical synapses) and the dopaminergic regulation of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity. We are focusing on spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP), a Hebbian learning rule, at output neurons and interneurons.  

2) The neuron-glia crosstalk: we evaluate the contribution of neurotransmitter uptake by astrocytes on corticostriatal information processing (transmission, shot-term plasticity and STDP).

3) The anatomical organization of the basal ganglia connections.

4) The pathophysiology of motor and cognitive impairments induced by alteration of the dopaminergic transmission and the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of the functional therapy by deep brain stimulation.

We are using a multidisciplinary approach combining electrophysiology (in vitro muti-patch-clamp and in vivo intracellular recordings), fast-cyclic voltammetry, neurochemistry and immunohistochemistry.