Rosa Cossart awarded with the FRM 2024 Grand Prix

Rosa Cossart has been recognized for her exceptional contribution to the advancement of medical science by a jury made up of the Research Committee and the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the FRM.

Her field of exploration is the development of cortical circuits

An engineer from the École Centrale de Paris with a doctorate in biophysics, Rosa Cossart is a world-renowned expert on the development of the hippocampus, the region of the brain that enables us to find our bearings in space, and order and memorize the events of our lives. Rosa Cossart’s team has been a pioneer in exploring the development of the neural networks that make up the hippocampus.

She has demonstrated the central role of the very first embryonic nerve cells in the organization of memory circuits present in adulthood. We know that brain development proceeds in critical stages from conception to adulthood. This approach enables us not only to understand how these circuits are organized, but also to identify the key stages and mechanisms that make this brain structure vulnerable to developmental disorders.

The major advances made by Rosa Cossart’s team are the result of interdisciplinarity and the combination of cutting-edge technologies. In particular, the team has recently developed optical techniques enabling live visualization of neuronal activity in the brains of active rodents.These have confirmed the central role of hyperconnected “hub” neurons, discovered by the team in 2009 and the cornerstone of their work. During development, these neurons have the ability to synchronize other neurons, forming networks that work together.What’s more, the activity of these hub neurons is modulated by sensory stimuli produced by the movements of the fetus, and then of the newborn.Synchronization, which occurs during certain periods of brain development, plays a crucial role in the development of brain circuits.
These hub neurons therefore appear to be pivotal to good brain development, but also, potentially, gateways to susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders.

The team also showed that, in adults, these specific neurons continue to play their role as conductors of hippocampal circuits, inducing a coordinated response of brain circuits to stimuli from our environment (tactile sensations, light, etc.). What’s more, at this age, the hippocampus is made up of sets of neurons which, when activated simultaneously, enable us to order our experiences in time and space.

As discoveries are made, the secrets of how the hippocampus functions are gradually revealed.From now on, Rosa Cossart’s aim is also to understand how developmental disorders disrupt this orchestration.With the hope of paving the way for new approaches to diagnosing and eventually treating conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy.

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