Stem-cell and Brain Research Institute

Journée Nationale des Neurosciences

Published on February 22, 2010

Campagne de sensibilisation grand public sur la place Antonin Poncet Samedi 13 Mars
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	Transversal projects
	Cell replacement therapy for early Parkinson’s disease

The transversal project of the Stem-cell and Brain Research Institute aims at evaluating the efficiency of early cell grafting in the early stages in a pre-clinical model of Parkinson’s disease. The project is implemented using precise motor, cognitive, and circadian assessments of the early stages of the disease, as well as the derivation and characterisation of appropriately defined cell lines for grafting. Behavioural dysfunctions in Parkinson’s disease are initiated during the so-called presymptomatic period (i.e. before clinical characterisation). The compensatory mechanisms and potentially hidden deficits that characterize this early period remain largely unknown. Yet during this period the brain is undergoing major changes as a direct consequence of the progressive dopaminergic lesion and as a consequence of compensations. One hypothesis is that early action on the disease will improve the efficacy of replacement therapy. Cell therapy is one major alternative to overcome the dopamine cell loss observed in Parkinson’s disease. Several tests have been made in animals and humans and the outcome appears to depend on at least three major parameters: i) the nature/specificity of the cells that are transplanted, ii) the site of grafting, and iii) the stage of the disease or the level of dopaminergic alteration at the time of grafting. The transversal project involves all five teams of the institute: The genetic derivation of labeled ES cell lines for preclinical cell therapy in neurodegenerative diseases (Savatier/Dehay) The generation of astrocytes from ES cells to be co-grafted with dopaminergic precursors in the striatum and SN of parkinsonian models (Dehay) The identification of neurodegenerative processes (Procyk/Kennedy Leviel) The behavioural and neurophysiological correlates of the consequences of slow evolving lesions on executive functions (Procyk) The evaluation of chronobiological markers during neurodegeneration using chronic neurophysiology and continuous multi-dimensional behaviour monitoring (Cooper)
Agnieszka Bernat-Wojtowski	Deriving iPS cells in the rhesus monkey and guiding their differentiation into dopaminergic precursors prior to grafting into MPTP monkeys. Producing transgenic monkeys using Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-based vectors.
Howard Cooper	The research aims of Neurobiological Rhythms and Sleep are focused on the molecular, cellular and behavioral mechanisms of the circadian timing system and the consequences of aging and neurodegenerative disease.Our approaches strive to understand the mechanisms of synchronization of circadian rhythms by lignt, the molecular and physiological mechanisms of the endogenous circadian oscillators, and the regulation of output behavioral and physiological rhythms. The coding of photic information ...
Colette Dehay	Team leader
Kwamivi Dzahini PHD Student	The objectives concern the detection of chemical alterations in the brain and behavioral deficits during early phases of progressive dopaminergic lesion simulating Parkinson’s disease. This in view to ameliorate the diagnostic ability, and to propose new therapeutic processes. This is based on longitudinal approaches using experimental models with 6-OHDA and MPTP, toxic substances of the dopaminergic central neurons.First, Parkinson’s disease etiology is approached. We investigate ...
Henry Kennedy	SBRI investigates the development, function and repair of neuronal circuits involved in cognition, motor control and biological rhythms and researches the structural foundations of computation in the cortex. We seek to develop embryonic stem cell based therapies so as to reverse the effects of brain lesions leading to the motor and cognitive deficits found in neurological disease including Parkinson's.
Vincent Leviel	The objectives concern the detection of chemical alterations in the brain and behavioral deficits during early phases of progressive dopaminergic lesion simulating Parkinson’s disease. This in view to ameliorate the diagnostic ability, and to propose new therapeutic processes. This is based on longitudinal approaches using experimental models with 6-OHDA and MPTP, toxic substances of the dopaminergic central neurons.First, Parkinson’s disease ...
Emmanuel Procyk	What are the neural mechanisms behind higher cognitive functions, and in particular those allowing flexible and voluntary behaviours? This is the main theme of my research. It adresses action and outcome valuation, cognitive control / working memory and sequential planning, and how these processes participate to learning and rapid adaptations of behaviour.Understanding these mechanisms requires investigating brain functions from behavioural to basic neurophysiological and neurochemical levels. ...
Julien Vezoli	My research interests lie in the intersection of three fields of neuroscience; from neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to preclinical investigation of cell therapy applied to the progressive model of Parkinson's disease (low-dose mptp).My studies in neuroanatomy are concerned with inter-areal connectivity and brain networks' basic characteristics comprehension. I use the chronic-EEG technique to seek for neurophysiological correlates of cognitive integration ...
Florence Wianny	My research interests include neural stem cells derived from Embryonic Stem cells in the non-human primate, the study of their self-renewal, and their differential potential.
Selected Publications of Team members :