ESPCI web site
Karim Benchenane - Memory, Oscillations and Brain states
The aim of the MOBs team, headed by Karim BENCHENANE since 2012, is to study brain-body states and their related oscillatory modes. To contact the team : 
More specifically, we aim to understand the origin and regulation of the many different coordinated brain-body states that can be observed during wake, sleep or emotional contexts and the role of these states in memory and affective processing. This broad question is currently under investigation via four different topics:
- Memory processing during sleep and wake : Using our recently developed brain-computer-interface to manipulate memories of aversive experience during sleep
- The role of bodily feedback on affective states : Establishing the role of the respiratory driven oscillation we identified in the prefrontal cortex as a regulator of fear states
- The interaction between affective state and sleep : Evaluating the role of the cortical control of VLPO on stress-related sleep regulation with ex vivo and in vivo electrophysiological techniques coupled with optogenetic tools.
- The neural mechanisms of brain-body interactions : Revealing how bodily state is encoded and how this information interacts with neural oscillations and behaviorally relevant signals using massive neural recordings.
This is achieved in the team by using electrophysiology in freely moving mice in vivo during behaviour and in slice ex-vivo, both approaches being coupled with optogenetic tools and data-analysis tools like dimensionality reduction, signal analysis and machine learning. We also use brain computer interfaces to manipulate this activity in a closed-loop fashion.
The research team has received awards from the ATIP program, the Emergence Grant of the city of Paris and the ERC consolidator Grant.
Some older projects :
- Developping a brain computer interface in order to manipulate slow oscillations during sleep (collaboration with a start-up Dreem)
