Connectionists: Call for Application for a three year Doctoral Fellowship (2013-2016)

[Martinez Dominique]

Call for Application for a three year Doctoral Fellowship (2013-2016)

Research Unit / Team :
UMR 1272 Insect Physiology: Signalling and Communication. INRA - Versailles
http://www-physiologie-insecte.versailles.inra.fr/indexenglish.php
Team « Coding, Behaviour, Modulation » 
(http://www-physiologie-insecte.versailles.inra.fr/team2.php)

Title :
Role of intrinsic properties of projection neurons of the antennal lobe 
in the moth olfactory coding: experiments and modelling.

Contacts :
Supervisor: Philippe LUCAS (philippe.lucas at versailles.inra.fr - Tel: +33 
1 30 83 37 37)
http://www-physiologie-insecte.versailles.inra.fr/pagePL.php
Co-supervisor: Dominique MARTINEZ (dominique.martinez at loria.fr - Tel: 
+33 3 83 59 30 71)
http://www.neuronal-engineering.com/dmartine/

Summary :
One of the major goals of neuroscience is to elucidate the mechanisms 
allowing the transformation of sensory information in appropriate motor 
responses. Our project aims at better understanding how the insect 
central nervous system encodes the olfactory information. Indeed, the 
integration of the signal delivered by olfactory receptor neurons by the 
neuronal network of the antennal lobe, the primary olfactory brain 
centre, remains poorly understood. If the role of local neurons in the 
transformation of response patterns between olfactory receptor neurons 
and projection neurons (PNs) is well documented, the contribution of 
intrinsic properties of PNs in this process has been largely neglected. 
By a combination of electrophysiology, molecular biology and modelling, 
we will analyse the electrophysiological properties of PNs and their 
contribution to the transformation of the representation of the 
olfactory stimulus on the model of the sex pheromone perception in male 
moths. The electrophysiological properties of PNs will be analysed by in 
situ patch-clamp, with a special focus on Ca2+-dependent conductances 
(INRA, Versailles). Experimental data will allow developing a 
biophysical model of PN (LORIA, Nancy). Finally, we will investigate 
whether a K+ channel of the SK type that we recently cloned and which is 
expressed in antennal lobes contributes to the olfactory coding. For 
this purpose, single cell RT-PCR will be developed to localize this 
channel within the antennal lobe and its role will be analyzed by an 
RNAi approach (UPMC, Paris).

Selection :
The application files and selection procedure are available on the 
website of the doctoral school "Brain, Cognition, Behaviour": 
http://ed3c.snv.jussieu.fr/. English speaking students are welcome to 
apply as the application file and the selection can be done in English. 
Candidates are invited to contact Philippe LUCAS and/or Dominique 
MARTINEZ rapidly as applications files must be sent no later than June 5 
2013.