The idea that the brain is plastic and constantly evolving has always been at the heart of his laboratory’s research. It has specialised in the study of a particular form of structural plasticity: the creation of new neurons in the adult brain, particularly in the neurogenic niche of the hippocampus. The team has demonstrated the crucial importance of adult born neurons, not only in the storage and retrieval of memories, but also in the regulation of emotions.
Another central aspect of the team’s research concerns the impact of ageing on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. The team has revealed the existence of inter-individual variations in the ability to generate new neurons, which are closely linked to the memory capacity of aged animals. Her lab has explored how early stresses, such as maternal stress, can accelerate the onset of age-related deficits, lead to the loss of neural stem cells in the neurogenic niche and reduce the capacity to produce new neurons.
More recently, the team discovered that the ageing of adult born neurons can be predicted from early adulthood and that they play a key role in resilience/vulnerability to cognitive ageing. These changes, occurring in a highly vascularised region, led the team to study the differential ageing of the vascular system in the context of the neurogenic niche and its in relation to cognitive ageing.
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