Postdoc in neuroscience of auditory circuits (M/F)

Descrizione

Postdoc in neuroscience of auditory circuits (M/F) Sintesi in italiano (traduzione automatica): Il progetto mira a studiare le caratteristiche anatomiche della rete neurale che consente la propagazione delle diverse dimensioni sonore lungo il percorso uditivo. Il ricercatore post-dottorato lavorerà presso l'Institut de l'Audition a Parigi, sotto la supervisione del Dr. Jérémie Barral. Le mansioni principali includono iniezioni di vettori virali nella coclea e nel cervello, imaging delle cellule etichettate e ricostruzione tridimensionale del circuito uditivo. È richiesta esperienza in procedure su roditori, immunoistochimica, imaging confocale e analisi delle immagini. È preferibile una laurea in neuroscienze o un campo correlato. Il progetto è parte di un'iniziativa più ampia per migliorare la salute uditiva e affrontare le esigenze mediche e sociali legate ai disturbi dell'udito. The goal of this project is to study the anatomical characteristics of the neural network that allow different sound dimensions to propagate along the auditory pathway. Frequency representation, or tonotopy, is present as early as the peripheral level, and the relationship between neuron localization and preferred frequency has been well characterized at various levels of the auditory circuit. Representations of sound intensity or amplitude modulation are less clear but could be depicted orthogonally to tonotopy. In collaboration with the Institut de la Vision, we will use new “Brainbow”-type fluorescent labeling tools to trace the neuronal connections between the various relays in the auditory circuit. We will begin by characterizing the connections between the cochlea and the cochlear nucleus, the first relay in the auditory circuit, and by elucidating the specific connectivity that enables the encoding and propagation of sound intensity information. The postdoctoral fellow will perform viral vector injections into the cochlea and the brain, image the labeled neurons, and generate a three-dimensional reconstruction of various levels of the auditory circuit at the cellular scale. The project's results will thus provide insights into how different aspects of sound are transmitted to the brain with unprecedented precision. - Procedures on rodents, such as: stereotactic brain surgery, cochlear injections, tissue sampling, tagging, etc. - Immunohistochemistry - Confocal imaging - Image analysis and 3D reconstruction - Formatting of results and statistical analyses - Follow-up of literature and improvement/adaptation of techniques and analyses according to research projects - Participation in team and institute activities, supervision of students, writing of scientific articles. The project “Shedding light on the auditory circuit: from the cochlea to the brain” (funded by Impulscience of the Bettecourt-Schueller Foundation) combines functional, anatomical and computational approaches to describe the transformation of sound information by the peripheral and central auditory systems. This project will take place at the Institut de l'Audition, as part of Dr. Jérémie Barral's team and under his supervision. The Institut de l'Audition, a research center of the Institut Pasteur (Paris), aims to understand hearing from a fundamental and clinical point of view. It combines diverse approaches ranging from genetics and cell biology to biophysics and from human cognition and psychoacoustics to computational neuroscience to create a truly interdisciplinary research environment. More broadly, this position is part of the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHU) reConnect, a new federative structure whose aim is to bring together all the players involved in hearing health to provide the best possible response to the medical, societal and educational needs raised by hearing disorders. Annuncio in inglese. Fonte: Euraxess (Commissione europea).