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Boris Barbour

Neuronal algorithms
(previously: Cerebellum group)

Our group is part of a movement aiming to understand the functions of the brain at cellular and network levels, making use of recent technological breakthroughs in electrophysiology, imaging and optogenetics. A specificity of our approach is the ability to combine in vitro, in vivo and computational techniques, and we are applying these to study the brain and in particular the cerebellum, a highly organised brain structure involved in the learning and execution of fast, coordinated movements. We are currently focusing on testing in vivo a new theory we have developed for cerebellar learning, which is based upon a cellular/network implementation of a stochastic gradient descent algorithm; this is explained in our extensive bioRxiv preprint Bouvier et al. (2016).

Selected publications

Bouvier G., Aljadeff J., Clopath C., Bimbard C., Nadal J.-P., Brunel N., Hakim V., Barbour B. (2016) Cerebellar learning using perturbations. bioRxiv
https://doi.org/10.1101/053785

Ranft J., Almeida L.G., Rodriguez P.C., Triller A. and Hakim V. (2017) An aggregation-removal model for the formation and size determination of post-synaptic scaffold domains. PLoS Comput Biol. 13:e1005516.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005516

Bouvier G., Higgins D., Spolidoro M., Carrel D., Mathieu B., Léna C., Dieudonné S., Barbour B., Brunel N. and Casado M. (2016) Burst-Dependent Bidirectional Plasticity in the Cerebellum Is Driven by Presynaptic NMDA Receptors. Cell Rep. 15:104-16.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.004

Ly R., Bouvier G., Szapiro G., Prosser H.M., Randall A.D., Kano M., Sakimura K., Isope P., Barbour B. and Feltz A. (2016) Contribution of postsynaptic T-type calcium channels to parallel fibre-Purkinje cell synaptic responses.
J Physiol. 594:915-36.
https://doi.org/10.1113/JP271623

Ostojic S., Szapiro G., Schwartz E., Barbour B., Brunel N. and Hakim N. (2015) Neuronal Morphology Generates High-Frequency Firing Resonance. J. Neurosci. 35: 7056-7068.
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3924-14.2015

Blot A. and Barbour B. (2014) Ultra-rapid axon-axon ephaptic inhibition of cerebellar Purkinje cells by the pinceau. Nat Neurosci. 17:289-95.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3624

Bidoret C., Ayon A., Barbour B. and Casado B. (2009) Presynaptic NR2A-containing NMDA receptors implement a high-pass filter synaptic plasticity rule. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106:14126-31.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904284106

Szapiro G. and Barbour B. (2007) Multiple climbing fibers signal to molecular layer interneurons exclusively via glutamate spillover. Nat Neurosci. 10:735-42.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1907




Granule cell–Purkinje cell synapse
Granule cell–Purkinje cell synapse
Purkinje cell
Purkinje cell
Stochastic gradient descent
Stochastic gradient descent