Séminaire de Philippe Faure (10_03_23)

Friday 10th February 2023, 14h30

Phillipe Faure, ESPCI, Brain Plasticity Lab, Paris

invited by Christelle Baunez

Determinant of inter-individual variability in reward seeking

Abstract: Inter-individual variability refers to differences in the expression of behaviors among members of a population. For example, some individuals are more risk-takers than others or are more attracted to immediate gains. This variability also manifests itself in how an individual responds to environmental and social challenges, resulting in heterogeneous expression of cognitive and task-related behaviors, but also in different susceptibility to drugs. To probe the issue of interindividual variability and personality traits, we study mice making choices to obtain rewards and the effect of nicotine on these choices. We analyze exploratory behaviors and responses to uncertainty and link changes in midbrain dopamine cells to modulation of these behaviors. By analyzing the behaviors of mice in a semi-naturalistic environment, we also explore the role of social relationships in shaping inter-individual behavioral variabilities in the decision making task. Overall, by analyzing changes in dopaminergic networks, we explore the link between social influences and behavioral adaptations, including nicotine sensitivity.