Alberto BACCI

Biography

Training and positions held:

• February 2017 to present: Director of Research (DR1), CNRS, UPMC UMR_S975, Inserm U 975, CNRS UMR 7225; Paris Brain Institute, France.
• February 2016 - December 2018: Scientific Director of ICM October 2012 - February 2017: Director of Research (DR2), CNRS, UPMC UMR_S975, Inserm U 975, CNRS UMR 7225; Paris Brain Institute, France
• Since August 2011: Senior Group Leader at Paris Brain Institute, France. December 2005 - July 2011: Group Leader, European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) - Rome, Italy.
• May 2003 - December 2005: Life Sciences Research Associate, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  November 1999 - April 2003: Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. David A. Prince and Dr. John R. Huguenard, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
• January 2000: Doctorate in Experimental and Therapeutic Pharmacology, Department of Medical Pharmacology, University of Milan, Italy. Supervisor: Prof. Michela Matteoli
  February 1994: Laurea (Master's degree) in Biological Sciences - Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, University of Milan (note: 110/110)

Research

The laboratory studies microcircuits in the neocortex. The neocortex is, in evolutionary terms, the most recent structure of the brain, appearing only in mammals. It is the final destination of sensory information and the site of complex cognitive functions, such as sensory perception, movement initiation, attention and several forms of memory. A major characteristic of the neocortex is its diversity, which is expressed at different levels. Indeed, the different neocortical areas are diverse in their structure and function; the cortical networks are dissimilar and the cortical neurons are spectacularly heterogeneous. The specific connectivity logic of this rich assortment of neuronal populations results in specialized divisions of labour and the emergence of canonical cortical circuits. The main focus of the laboratory is on the cellular diversity of cortical circuits. We study how different cell types connect to each other and how the properties and plasticity of these synaptic connections underlie the emergence of various cognitively relevant network activities and oscillations. The laboratory combines a variety of experimental approaches including in vivo electrophysiology and imaging, ex vivo electrophysiology, anatomy, and cellular and molecular biology.

Main 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.