KEY WORDS | optogenetics, aging, neuroscience |
CITY | Paris |
COUNTRY | France |
DETAILS OF THE OFFER | Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3-year PhD position to study the impact of age on behavioral flexibility in a mouse model of healthy aging. Aging is known to negatively affect flexible behavior and brain networks supporting it, in particular the prefrontal cortex and the mesocortical dopaminergic pathway. The doctoral project focuses on the role of glutamatergic and dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area to the prefrontal cortex in the age-related cognitive decline. To that aim it will (i) characterize age-related differences in behavioral performance between adult and aged mice in a visuospatial decision-making task; (ii) use optogenetic techniques to elucidate the specific role of these projections and to test whether cell-specific stimulation of mesocortical inputs can improve performance of cognitively impaired aged mice in this task. The optogenetic part of the project will be conducted in collaboration with the ICM Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord. |
TYPE OF JOB | PhD position |
TYPE OF CONTRACT | CDD (temporary / 3 years) |