Mismatching clocks: the effect of circadian misalignment on peripheral 24-h rhythms in humans
Night shift work is associated with adverse health effects and leads to misalignment between timing cues from the environment and the endogenous circadian clock. In this presentation, I will discuss the effect of circadian misalignment induced by night shift work on peripheral 24-h rhythms on the transcriptome and metabolome in humans, presenting findings from both controlled laboratory studies and field studies. Furthermore, I will highlight the importance of taking into account interindividual differences in the response to circadian misalignment.
Fate and freedom in developing neocortical circuits
During brain development, neurons are born in specialized niches and migrate to target regions where they assemble to form the circuits that underlie mammalian behaviour. During their journey, neurons follow cell-intrinsic, genetic programs transmitted by their mother cells but also environmental cues, which together drive their maturation. Here, focusing on the neocortex, I will discuss recent findings from our laboratory in which we untangle and manipulate the programs at play in progenitors and their daughter neurons to better understand the emergence of cellular diversity in the developing brain.