January 2013 – Age Plus Prize Winner: Cyril Bories
Université Laval
Differential Balance of Prefrontal Synaptic Activity in Successful versus Unsuccessful Cognitive Aging
Alterations of cognitive functions affect the life of many elderly people. These problems are particularly disabling and require special care resulting into enormous cost for modern societies. Therefore it is of great interest to seek the neurobiological substrates of these declines to improve their treatment and the care of patients.
To investigate the functional wiring and dynamics of aged neural circuits the research team employed a combination of state-of-the-art electrophysiological, morphological and behavioral assessments in rodents. This study included in vitro patch-clamp recordings, exploratory and memory-based behavioral paradigms and in-depth single-cell morphometric analysis.
By deciphering the neurobiological substrates of age-dependent cognitive declines, the results obtained will contribute to the treatment of these declines through the refinement of pharmacological intervention. Consistent with the team's observations, several studies already reported that pharmacological interventions are prompt to improve cognitive performance in rodents.
This research project allowed Mr. Bories to diversify his working experience and fundamental knowledge in Neuroscience. Beyond his experience in the lab, he also improved his skills on data and statistical analyses. It also facilitated and enhanced opportunities for collaborations with other international groups.
Interacting with physicians, peers and broad audiences to stimulate scientific exchanges and collaborative projects is one of the most interesting parts of the work researchers do. To facilitate these interactions, besides his research on brain disorders, Cyril Bories will start a specialized M.B.A to acquire new skills for pharmaceutical and health systems management.
Cyril Bories