DR. BRUNO MARIE
RESEARCHER
Contact Information:
Office: 638
Lab: 14-15
Email: bruno.marie@upr.edu
EDUCATION:
- M.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology Université Louis Pasteur
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry at University of Sussex
- Postdoctoral Fellow. University of California, San Francisco
RESEARCH INTEREST:
- The primary mission of the lab is to increase our understanding of the nervous system. Our lab is focused on the synapse, the fundamental element of communication between neurons. We aim at understanding its plasticity: its ability to adapt to challenges (relevant to diseases and alcohol use disorder) or to be changed by past experiences (relevant to learning and memory).
- From fly to man, synapses are shaped by plastic events that promote or limit changes in synaptic strength. Indeed, changes in electrical activity can lead to modifications in synaptic strength, which are often accompanied by structural changes in synapse shape and/or number. This type of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity (ADSP) is the cellular basis of learning and memory. Another type of plasticity is termed homeostasis synaptic plasticity and aims at maintaining the constancy of the synaptic response. These two apparently antagonistic forms of plasticity co-exist within synapses and have been characterized at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between ADSP and homeostasis at the NMJ. In addition, the synapse is capable of adapting to chronic alcohol exposure. We are also examining the molecules and mechanisms involved in this adaptation.