Laurianne Zana

The goal of my PhD project (previously master's project) is to study the modulation of the hemodynamic response by specific subgroups of inhibitory interneurons. I use mesoscale and microscale calcium imaging (mainly wide-field and two-photon microscopy), as well a chemogenetic techniques (DREADDS) to investigate the effect of blocking interneuron activity on blood flow regulation in healthy mice.

The goal of my internship project was to assist a PhD student in better understanding the role of the subiculum in spatial navigation and spatial memory. I imaged and analyzed brain slices from mice that had previously been infected with CTB to identify projection pathways between the subiculum, the entorhinal cortex and CA1, and quantified cellular and molecular expression within this structures to identify potential new biomarkers of hypothalamic activity.