CV Science

Ingrid Bureau PhD Neurosciences

Course and current status

2007-present      Research associate (CR1)

INSERM, Unit 1249, INMED, Marseille, France

Project: Structure/function of somatosensory cortical circuits involved in associative learning

2000-2007           Postdoc, Lab. Dr. K. Svoboda

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA

Project: The circuit diagram of the developing somatosensory cortex from rodents

1996-2000           PhD student, Lab. Dr. C. Mulle

François Magendie Institute, Bordeaux, France

Project: The roles of AMPA and kainate receptors, two types of glutamate receptors, in the synaptic transmission of interneurons

Scientific summary

My group investigates the structure / function relationships of neuronal networks in sensory cortex. A distinct feature of sensory cortex is the precise organization of connectivity in columns and laminae. What function does it serve? Under what circumstances is this organization altered and with what consequences for sensory integration? We are most particularly interested in the function of cortical circuits in associative learning where animals learn to pair a task event with a sensory stimulus. This training modifies the neuronal representation of that stimulus in the cortical map. Our goal is to identify the circuits underlying this transformation and to study how their plasticity contributes to the control of behavior. To this aim, we combine behavioral studies and electrophysiology. Our model system is the barrel cortex, a region of the primary somatosensory cortex dedicated to whiskers.