A postdoctoral fellowship position is available for the study of the synaptic basis of non-motor circuit computations in cerebellum, with potential implications for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In our laboratory we have shown that diversity of synaptic strength and plasticity is important for temporal coding of multisensory events. We will extend these original studies of synaptic diversity to the non-motor cerebellum, where we hypothesize that deficits in multisensory processing may contribute to behavioral alterations in ASD mouse models. The project will combine, in situ two-photon guided electrophysiology, optogenetic silencing, and state-of-the-art high speed in vivo imaging of newly developed activity reporters (Ca2+ and neurotransmitter), both in the cerebellar cortex and prefrontal cortex. Applicants should have previous experience in electrophysiology or in vivo recordings, and a good command of signal analysis. The laboratory is multidisciplinary with in situ and in vivo neurophysiologists, physicists (optics) and theoretical neuroscientist working in a highly collaborative environment.
Please contact David DiGregorio (david.digregorio@pasteur.fr).