CV Science

Dominique Debanne PhD Neuroscience

Course and current status

Current status

• Head of Ion channel and Synaptic Neurobiology Unit (UNIS - INSERM-AMU research unit, since 2012)
• Group leader (since 1998)
• CNRS Research Director (DRCE)

 

Degrees

• 1992: PhD in Neuroscience Université Pierre et Marie Curie
• 2000: Habilitation Université Pierre et Marie Curie

 

Career

• 1988-1992: PhD fellow, Neurobiologie et Neuropharmacologie du Développement, Orsay
• 1992-1996: Post-doc fellow, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich (Switzerland)
• 1996-2001: CNRS Research Associate Class 2 (CR2)
• 1998-2000: Group leader, Unité de Neurocybernétique Cellulaire, UPR9041 CNRS, Marseille
• 2001-2005: AVENIR team leader, Neurobiologie des Canaux Ioniques, U464-U641, INSERM, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille
• 2001-2004: CNRS Research Associate Class 1 (CR1)
• 2004-2010: CNRS Research Director Class 2 (DR2)
• 2010-2021: CNRS Research Director Class 1 (DR1)
• 2012-present: Head of UNIS, INSERM - Aix-Marseille Université
• 2021-2023: CNRS Outstanding Class Research Director 1 (DRCE1)
• 2023-present: CNRS Outstanding Class Research Director 2 (DRCE2)

 

Awards and honours

• 2000-2003: ACI young investigator (French Ministry of Research)
• 2001-2005: AVENIR INSERM team leader
• 2010-2013: Scientific Excellence Award (PES, CNRS)
• 2019-2023: FRM Equipe 2018

 

Current research grants

• ANR Plastinex (2021-2025)
• Région SUD (2021-2024)
• A*Midex Equipment (2023-2026)
• A*Midex Research (2023-2026)
• ANR Synchrosyn (2023-2027)

 

Grant and scientific committees

• McGill University (Canada), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (Ca), IN Shangaï (China), Israel Science Foundation (Israel), NMRC (Singapore), National Science Foundation (USA), Rochester University (USA)
• Brain-I-Net (EC), FP6 (EC), DFG (Germany), NOHRD (Netherlands), Research Council Norway (Norway), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), FNS (Switzerland), Welcome Trust (UK), MRC (UK), UCL (UK), Imperial College London (UK), BBSRC (UK)
• ANR (2007, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023; France), AERES (2008; France), CoNRS section 25 (2012-2013; France), FFRE (2006), AFM (2006), FRC (2008)
• A*Midex (2020; Marseille)

 

Executive committees

• NeuroMarseille

 

Member of Editorial Boards

• Journal of Physiology (2005-2012)
• European Journal of Neuroscience (2008-2011)
• Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (2008-present)
• Scientific Reports (2015-present)
• Cells (2021-present)

 

Reviewer

• Nature, Science, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Physiological Reviews, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Brain, PNAS, PLoS Biology, Trends in Neurosciences, Nature Protocols, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Cell Reports, eLife, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Physiology (London), iScience, etc...

Scientific summary

My main scientific achievements are: 1) discovery of the spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rules in the hippocampus in vitro (Debanne et al., PNAS 1994; Debanne et al., PNAS 1996; Debanne et al., J Neurophysiol., 1997; Debanne et al., J Physiol. 1998; Debanne et al., J Neurosci. 1999; Inglebert et al., PNAS 2020; Debanne & Inglebert, Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023), 2) mechanisms of short-term synaptic plasticity at unitary synapses (Debanne et al., J Physiol. 1996), 3) characterization of propagation failures along the axon (Debanne et al., Nature 1997; Kopysova & Debanne, J Neurosci. 1998), 4) Hebbian plasticity of intrinsic excitability (Daoudal et al., PNAS 2002; Campanac & Debanne, J Physiol., 2008; Campanac et al., J Neurosci. 2008; Campanac et al., Neuron 2013; Incontro et al., J Neurosci 2021; Sammari et al., PNAS 2022), 5) mechanisms and plasticity of neuronal timing (Sourdet et al., J Neurosci. 2003; Boudkkazi et al., Neuron 2007; Cudmore et al., J Neurosci. 2010; Boudkkazi et al., J Physiol. 2011, Gastrein et al., J Physiol 2011; Campanac et al., Neuron 2013; Bouddkazi & Debanne, Cells 2023) and 6) the role of axonal ion channels in information processing (Rama et al., Nat Commun 2015, Zbili et al., Sci Adv 2020; Zbili et al., PNAS 2021).

My current reseach is focussed on 1) the mechanisms of long-lasting, plasticity of intrinsic neuronal excitability in cortical and subcortical neurons and their role in learning, development and sensory adaptation, 2) the cellular and molecular mechanisms of amblyopia, 3) the role of axonal ion channels in information processing and 4) spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rules in physiological conditions.

To address these questions, we employ 1) multiple whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in brain slices (from two connected neurons or from the axon / cell body), 2) laser scanning microscopy imaging and 2-photon imaging (Ca²⁺, Na⁺, voltage), 3) computer modeling, 4) hybrid neuron-computer techniques (dynamic-clamp, hybrid networks) and 5) molecular tools (single neuron electroporation in slice cultures) and CRISP/Cas9.

Supported by CNRS, INSERM, ANR, FRM, A*Midex, Ministry of Research, Région SUD, NeuroMarseille & NeuroSchool.

 

Main publications as senior author:

Incontro S, Musella ML, Sammari M, Di Scala C, Fantini J & Debanne D (2025) Lipids shape brain function through ion channel and receptor modulations: physiological mechanisms and clinical perspectives. Physiological Reviews 105: 137-207

Debanne D, Mylonaki K, Musella ML & Russier M (2024) Voltage-gated channels in epilepsies: circuit dysfunctions and treatments. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 45: 1018-1032

Extrémet J, Ramirez-Franco J, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L, Boumedine-Guignon N, Ankri N, El Far O, Garrido JJ, Debanne D & Russier M (2023) Rescue of normal excitability in LGI1-deficient epileptic neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 43: 8596-8606.

Debanne D & Inglebert Y (2023) Spike-timing-dependent plasticity and memory. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 80: 102707

Sammari M, Inglebert Y, Ankri N, Russier M, Incontro S & Debanne D (2022) Theta patterns of stimulation induce synaptic and intrinsic potentiation in O-LM interneurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 119: e2205264119

Zbili M, Rama S, Benitez MJ, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L, Bialowas A, Boumedine-Guignon N, Garrido JJ & Debanne D (2021) Homeostatic regulation of axonal Kv1 channels accounts for both synaptic and intrinsic modifications in the hippocampal CA3 circuit. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 118: e2110601118.

Incontro S, Sammari M, Azzaz F, Inglebert Y, Ankri N, Russier M, Fantini J & Debanne D (2021) Endocannabinoids tune intrinsic excitability in O-LM interneurons by direct modulation of postsynaptic Kv7 channels. Journal of Neuroscience 41: 9521-9538.

Fékété A, Ankri N, Brette R & Debanne D (2021) Neural excitability increases with axonal resistance between soma and axon intial segment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 118: e2102217118.

Inglebert Y, Aljadeff J, Brunel N & Debanne D (2020) Synaptic plasticity rules with physiological calcium levels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 117: 33639-33648.

Zbili M, Rama S, Yger P, Inglebert Y, Boumedine-Guignon N, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L, Brette R, Russier M & Debanne D (2020) Axonal Na⁺ channels detect and transmit levels of input synchrony in local brain circuits.  Science Advances 6: eaay4313.

Debanne D, Inglebert Y & Russier M (2019) Plasticity of intrinsic neuronal excitability. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 54: 73-82.

Seagar M, Russier M, Caillard O, Maulet Y, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L, De San Feliciano M, Boumedine-Guignon N, Rodriguez L, Zbili M, Usseglio F, Formisano-Tréziny C, Youssouf F, Sangiardi M, Boillot M, Baulac S, Benitez MJ, Garrido JJ, Debanne D, El Far O (2017) LGI1 tunes intrinsic excitability by setting the density of axonal Kv1 channels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 114: 7719-7724.

Rama S, Zbili M, Bialowas A, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L, Carlier E, Marra V & Debanne D (2015) Presynaptic hyperpolarization induces a fast analogue modulation of spike-evoked transmission mediated by axonal sodium channels. Nature Communications 6: 10163.

Campanac E, Gasselin C, Baude A, Rama S, Ankri N & Debanne D (2013) Enhanced intrinsic excitability in basket cells maintains excitatory-inhibitory balance in hippocampal circuits. Neuron 77: 712-722.

Debanne D, Bialowas A & Rama S (2013) What are the mechanisms for analogue and digital signaling in the brain? Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14: 63-69.

Debanne D, Campanac E, Bialowas A, Carlier E & Alcaraz G (2011) Axon physiology. Physiological Reviews 91: 555-602.

Boudkkazi S, Carlier E, Ankri N, Caillard O, Giraud P, Fronzaroli-Molinieres L & Debanne D (2007) Release-dependent variation in synaptic latency: a putative code for short- and long-term synaptic dynamics. Neuron 56: 1048-1060.

Debanne D (2004) Information processing in the axon. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 5: 304-316.

Daoudal G, Hanada Y & Debanne D (2002) Bidirectional plasticity of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP)-spike coupling in CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 99: 14512-14517.