Our Sensorimotor Integration and Brain Body Interaction Lab (SIBBIL, former Spinal Sensory Signalling) combines genetics, biophysics, physiology & behavior to understand how sensory inputs are integrated in the spinal cord during development and active locomotion. The lab discovered that neurons contacting the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the spinal cord are mechanoreceptors detecting curvature of the spinal cord and CSF flow, which modulate the activity of spinal neurons controlling locomotion and posture. We use the transparent zebrafish larva to implement optical methods for manipulating and monitoring neuronal activity in motion. Our work aims to unravel the mechanisms by which interoceptive sensory inputs are integrated throughout life to form the spinal cord, and ensure homeostasis in the mature stages. Full list of publications here: https://www.wyartlab.org/publications

Multiple researchers steer basic science and translational projects in the team:

Trained as a physicist, Claire Wyart pioneered optogenetics in vivo in the transparent zebrafish larva as a postdoc at UC Berkeley with Ehud Isacoff. Since 2011, her team at the Paris Brain Institute has discovered a sensory system at the interface with the cerebrospinal fluid that detects spinal curvature and the chemical content of the fluid, and that shapes locomotion, posture, body-axis morphogenesis and host defense. The team now also studies the brainstem circuits that initiate and steer movement, and how neuromodulation shapes navigation over long timescales. Claire is an Inserm Research Director (DR1), Deputy Director of the Paris Brain Institute and an EMBO member. Her work has been recognised by the Irène Joliot-Curie Prize (2013), the Richard Lounsbery Prize (2022) and the Prix Antoine Lacassagne of the Collège de France (2025).

Dr. Antonio C. Costa is an INSERM researcher with a training in statistical physics & a passion for animal behavior. He's now driving a project supported by ANR JCJC with grad student Remi Gautier on analyzing the long timescales of behavior in domesticated and wild zebrafish.

Dr. Feng Quan is a project manager who supervises molecular/cellular engineers in the lab: she is an expert in CRISPR-Cas genome editing for knock-in and knock-out, and molecular techniques to investigate interoception and CSF signaling. She supervises students and engineers Claire, Julien and Charles.

Dr. Kevin Fidelin is a project manager who supervises coding & imaging engineers in the lab: he is an expert in in vivo electrophysiology, functional optogenetics and dynamic population imaging to investigate the structure and functions of motor nuclei in the brainstem. Kevin worked with Maha and supervises Ninon and Prathigna in the lab - an engineer job is open to work with him, apply!

Dr. Laura Marie-Hardy, MD PhD, surgeon and head of clinic in the orthopaedic department of the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, runs the SCOGEN project to identify genes involved in idiopathic scoliosis in humans, in collaboration with Serge Zakine.

Prof. Hugues Pascal-Moussellard is a MD/PhD and surgeon in charge of the orthopedic department of the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris 13. He conducts with Dr. Laura Marie-Hardy, Dr. Thomas Courtin and Prof. Alexis Brice a project aiming to decipher mutations associated with idiopathic scoliosis in humans.

Research

Neuromodulation in the hindbrain and spinal cord

Arousal locomotion is strongly modulated by our inner physiological states. This spontaneous exploratory locomotion reflects the excitability of motor circuits in the spinal cord as well as descending commands from the brain, in particular from the hindbrain. The underlying mechanisms controlling the occurrence of spontaneous locomotion and its natural variability among animals and across physiological states within one animal are not well understood. On one end, we are interested in probing neuromodulatory pathways in the hindbrain and spinal cord for setting the frequency of occurrence of locomotion in the context of circadian rhythm, inflammation and feeding. On the other, we investigate how neuromodulation can influence morphogenesis.

Modulation of motor circuits via the cerebrospinal fluid

The classical view of spinal cord physiology relies on the fact that motor functions are carried by ventral spinal cord while dorsal spinal cord integrates sensory inputs from the periphery. Up to recently, there was no evidence that the vertebrate spinal cord hosts sensory cells conserved throughout vertebrates. Our team has shown evidence for a central sensory motor loop localized in the spinal cord and modulating circuits underlying locomotion and posture. We have evidence that the morphology and molecular markers of this central sensory system is conserved in the mammalian spinal cord. This axial sensory system modulates locomotion, posture, innate immunity and morphogenesis.

Sensory integration in hindbrain and spinal cord throughout life

The contribution of mechanosensory feedback to active locomotion and the nature of underlying spinal circuits remain elusive. We investigate how mechanosensory feedback shapes active locomotion in the zebrafish larva. We find that mechanosensory feedback enhances the recruitment of motor pools during active locomotion. We show that inputs from glutamatergic mechanosensory neurons increase locomotor speed by prolonging fast swimming at the expense of slow swimming during stereotyped acoustic escape responses. The interoceptive sensory integration we have discovered is critical throughout life for growing and maintaining a straight body axis. Altogether, our efforts reveal the basic principles and circuit diagram underlying the modulation of movement, posture and morphogenesis by adjusted mechanosensory feedback in the vertebrate spinal cord.

People

Alumni

  • Veronicá Perez-Schuster Postdoc 2024–2026 Now: Researcher, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Martin Carbo-Tano Postdoc 2017–2024 Now: Research scientist, Copenhagen
  • Adeline Orts Del'Immagine Postdoc 2017–2022 Now: Assistant Professor, Université Paris Cité
  • Yasmine Cantaut-Belarif Postdoc 2017–2020 Now: CNRS researcher, IBPS, Paris
  • Adna Dumitrescu Postdoc 2017–2020 Now: Project manager in public health
  • Olivier Thouvenin Postdoc 2017–2018 Now: Assistant Professor, ESPCI
  • Andrew Prendergast Postdoc 2014–2019 Now: Head of a facility, Yale University
  • Jeff Hubbard Postdoc 2014–2017 Now: Group leader, Neuroservice
  • Kristen Severi Postdoc 2013–2017 Now: Assistant Professor, Rutgers University
  • Pierre-Luc Bardet Assistant Professor 2013–2020
  • Joana Guedes Project manager 2021–2025 Now: NeuroMatch, UK
  • Xinyu Jia PhD 2020–2026
  • Mahalakshmi Dhanasekar PhD 2020–2026 Now: Postdoc, Swaka lab
  • Gautam Sridhar PhD 2020–2025 Now: Postdoc, OIST
  • Faustine Ginoux PhD 2022–2024 Now: In the Navy, Toulon, France
  • Mathilde Lapoix PhD 2019–2022 Now: MD, Lyon, France
  • Hugo Marnas PhD 2017–2021
  • Ming-Yue Wu PhD 2016–2020 Now: Staff scientist, Shanghai, China
  • Laura Desban PhD 2014–2018 Now: Postdoc, University of Oregon, USA
  • Urs Böhm PhD 2012–2016 Now: Inserm researcher, IPNP
  • Jenna Sternberg PhD 2012–2016 Now: Life science editor, USA
  • Steven Knafo PhD 2012–2015 Now: MD PhD, Kremlin-Bicêtre
  • Lydia Djenoune PhD 2011–2015 Now: PI & Senior Scientist, MGH Boston, USA
  • Olivier Mirat PhD 2011–2013 Now: Freelance coder
  • Agnès Hocquemiller Engineer 2020–2025
  • Loeva Tocquer Engineer 2020–2024
  • Julian Roussel Engineer 2017–2023
  • Sophie Nunes Figueiredo Engineer 2013–2015
  • Celine Bellegarda Engineer 2022
  • Zaineb El Bourakkadi Engineer
  • Yezza Selmani Administrative assistant
  • Guillaume Zavard Master student
  • Apoorvaa Krishnamurthy Master student
  • Amin Benadjal
  • Clara Besserer
  • Paul Bivas
  • Alban Doinel
  • Fanny Eggeler
  • Sophia Horowicz
  • Fanny Koëth
  • Julie Lafaye
  • Shubham Sahu
  • Sara Zeppilli

Publications

In the pipeline

Latest Publications

See all publications

Events

Outreach