member

Previous page Alberto BACCI PhD, DR1, CNRS Team “Cellular physiology of cortical microcircuits”

Biography

Educational Background and Positions
  • February 2017 – present: Directeur de Recherche (DR1), at the CNRS, UPMC UMR_S975, Inserm U 975, CNRS UMR 7225; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
  • February 2016 – December 2018: Scientific Director of the ICM
  • October 2012 – February 2017: Directeur de Recherche (DR2), at the CNRS, UPMC UMR_S975, Inserm U 975, CNRS UMR 7225; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
  • August 2011 – present: Senior Group Leader at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM, Brain and Spine Institute) – Paris, France.
  • December 2005 – July 2011: Group Leader, European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) – Rome, Italy.
  • May 2003 – December 2005: Life Science Research Associate, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  • November 1999 – April 2003: Postdoctoral Fellow in Drs David A. Prince and John R. Huguenard laboratory, at the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  • January 2000: Ph.D. in Experimental Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Dept of Medical Pharmacology, University of Milano, Italy. Supervisor: Prof. Michela Matteoli
  • February 1994: Laurea (Master’s Degree) in Biological Sciences - Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, University of Milano (grade: 110/110).
 

Research work

The lab studies the microcircuits of the neocortex. The neocortex is, in evolutionary terms, the most recent structure of the brain, as it appears only in mammals. The neocortex is the final destination of sensory information, and the seat of complex cognitive functions, such as sensory perception, movement initiation, attention and several forms of memory. A major hallmark of the neocortex is its diversity, which is expressed at different levels. Indeed, different neocortical areas are diverse in structure and function; cortical networks are dissimilar, and cortical neurons are spectacularly heterogeneous. The specific connectivity logic of this rich assortment of neuronal populations results in specialized divisions of labor and the emergence of canonical cortical circuits. The main interest of the lab is centered on the cellular diversity of cortical circuits. We study how different cell types connect with one another and how the properties and plasticity of these synaptic connections underlie the emergence of various cognitive-relevant network activity and oscillations. The lab combines a variety of experimental approaches including in vivo electrophysiology and imaging, ex vivo electrophysiology, anatomy, cell and molecular biology   Interests : Neocortex, Interneurons, Inhibition, Plasticity,

Publications

  • Zorrilla de San Martin J, Donato C, Peixoto J, Aguirre A, Choudhary V, De Stasi AM, Lourenço J, Potier MC, Bacci A (2020) Alterations of specific cortical GABAergic circuits underlie abnormal network activity in a mouse model of Down syndrome eLife 2020;9:e58731 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.58731
  • Lourenço J, De Stasi AM, Deleuze C, Bigot M, Pazienti A, Aguirre A, Giugliano M, Ostojic S, Bacci A (2020) Modulation of coordinated activity across cortical layers by plasticity of inhibitory synapses onto layer 5 pyramidal neurons Cell Reports, 30(3):630-641.e5.
  • Deleuze C, Bhumbra GS, Pazienti A, Lourenço J, Mailhes, C, Aguirre A, Beato M*, Bacci A* (2019) Strong preference for autaptic self-connectivity of neocortical PV interneurons facilitates their tuning to γ-oscillations PLoS Biol. 2019 Sep 4;17(9):e3000419  (*Co-senior authors)
  • Faini G, Aguirre A, Landi S, Lamers D, Pizzorusso T, Ratto GM, Deleuze C, Bacci A (2018) Perineuronal nets control visual input via thalamic recruitment of cortical PV interneurons eLife 7:e41520.
  • Lourenço J, Pacioni S, Rebola N, van Woerden GM, Marinelli S, DiGregorio D, Bacci A (2014) Non-associative potentiation of perisomatic inhibition alters the temporal coding of neocortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons  PLoS Biology 12:e1001903.