Grammar and Neuronal Representations of Social Behavior in Murine Model of Neurodevelopmental Psychiatric Diseases

The NeuroSchool PhD Program of Aix-Marseille University (France) has launched its annual calls for PhD contracts for students with a master's degree in a non-French university and for  international co-supervised PhDs.

This project is one of the proposed projects. Not all proposed projects will be funded, check our website for details.

State of art: Programmed developmental sequences play a crucial role in the organization and functionality of the adult brain1. These processes, essential for the establishment of adaptive behaviors, are influenced by abnormal genetic patterns and/or environmental adversity2. Neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) are associated with abnormalities in social behaviors3 and dysfunction in prefrontal hubs (prefrontal cortex and interconnected structures, e.g., accumbens, amygdala, ventral hippocampus)4-5. Sex significantly influences both physiology and behavior6, contributing to differences in vulnerability and prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders7. How these disorders simultaneously affect behavioral and neural functions in males and females remains poorly understood.

Objectives: This project aims to decode and understand behavioral grammar and its associated neural representations while identifying the fundamental elements of social behaviors, with a focus on neuropsychiatric disorders and sex differences. It is structured around three main objectives:

1. Characterizing the fundamental elements of behavioral dynamics in groups of mice using deep learning and advanced statistical tools to uncover the structure of social behavior.

2. Identifying neural representations associated with specific behavioral modules by measuring neuronal ensembles activity in prefrontal hubs.

3. Establishing a quantitative framework to analyze behavioral grammar and its neural representations in a genetic model of neurodevelopmental psychiatric disease.

Expected results: Expected results: By integrating multidisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technologies, this study will 1- quantify alterations in multidimensional data from freely interacting social groups to predict the consequences of these disturbances, and 2- advance understanding of how neuropsychiatric disorders affect social behaviors and 3- identify new potential therapeutic targets.

Methods: Natural social interactions in group-housed mice will be continuously tracked and monitored in real time using the Live Mouse Tracker, a system integrating computer vision and machine learning8-9. Structured neuronal ensemble activity will be recorded in awake, freely moving, and socially interacting mice using fiber photometry. Multimodal data and social behavioral grammar will be analyzed and decoded through advanced statistical and algorithmic approaches, Bayesian modeling and Markovian Processes.

Feasibility: The equipment required for this project is already in place and fully operational, and all necessary animal experimentation authorizations have been obtained.

Within Aix Marseille Université, NeuroMarseille brings together 8 research laboratories and NeuroSchool, a graduate school in neuroscience, to increase the attractiveness of the university, international collaborations, interdisciplinarity, links with the clinical and industrial worlds and the integration of students into professional life. 

Launched in July 2018, NeuroSchool unifies and harmonizes the training of the third year of the Bachelor of Life Sciences (Neuroscience track), the Master's and the PhD in Neuroscience. 

• Master's degree from a non-French university in neuroscience or related field
• Fluent in English

Expected candidate profile: Robust theoretical background in Neurosciences – Knowledgeable in animal experimentation- Strong attraction for computation and statistics - Collaborative and positive team spirit.