2007- 2012 PhD in Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University Under the direction of Drs Yehezkel Ben-ari and Rosa Cossart. Defended on January, the 18th, 2012. Title: The diversity of the CA3 glutamatergic neurons: a developmental approach.
2005-2007 Master in Biology, Aix-Marseille University
2018-Today: Associate Researcher Mediterranean Institute of Neuroscience (INMED, INSERM UMR1249, Marseille, France). Head of the lab: Dr. Valérie Crépel.
2012-2018: Post-Doctorate Fellow, then Maître-Assistant Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva (Unige, Switzerland). Head of the labs: Prof. Dominique Müller and Alan Carleton.
2007-2012: PhD Candidate Mediterranean Institute of Neuroscience (INMED, INSERM UMR1249, Marseille, France). Supervisors: Drs. Yehezkel Ben-ari and Rosa Cossart.
2007-2010: Teaching Assistant University of Aix-Marseille (AMU, France).
2007-Today: Fund collection
≈750 000 euros obtained for salary, equipment and operating expenses:
2023 Amidex funding (Salary, equipment and operating costs).
2023 FRC funding (Salary, equipment and operating costs).
2023 ICR NeuroMarseille (Projets de recherche innovantes et collaboratives) (Equipment and operating costs).
2022-2023 PHC-Germaine de Staël grant (travel costs, training through research);
2021 ESR EquipEx+ Circuitphotonics (as a contributor; equipment).
2021 INSERM First Step Projects (equipment and operating costs);
2021 Grant from the French Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (travel costs);
2020-2021 2 CENTURI scholarships to host students from top school of engineering (Mines-Paristech, AgroParisTech);
2020-2021 Fyssen Foundation research grant (equipment and operating costs);
2019-2020 INSERM young researcher allocation (equipment and operating costs);
2019 Allocation from City of Marseille (individual prize);
2018 Allocation from the French League Against the Epilepsies (LFCE, salary. The funding has been declined due to my hiring as a permanent researcher);
2014-2016 Jerôme Lejeune Foundation research grant (equipment and operating costs);
2010-2011 Allocation from the French Foundation for the Medical Research (FRM; salary);
2007-2010 Allocation from the French Ministry of Research (salary);
2006-2007 Merit scholarship from Aix-Marseille University (individual prize).
2007-Today: Teaching
over 200h courses at University of Aix-Marseille and Geneva,
2024 Problem-based teaching “Evaluating epilepsy: from molecule to clinic” for master’s degree students (Master in Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University);
2023 Practical courses for master’s degree students “Chlorure ion and epilepsy” (Master BIP, Aix-Marseille University);
2021 Courses for master’s degree students “Careers in Academia” (Master in Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University);
2010 Courses in physiology for master’s degree students “Imaging the brain" (Master Pathologie Humaine, Aix-Marseille University);
2007-2010 Practical courses in biochemistry for bachelor students (Aix-Marseille University), “Purification de la Thrombine”;
2007-Today: Science outreach
2024 Stand-up for Neurostories and article in “The Conversation” : « Le Cerveau, un chantier permanent » ;
2023 Article in the FRM website (co-written with Rejane Rua): “Qu’est ce que la Neuroinflamation?”
Declics « Dialogues Entre Cheurcheurs et Lycéens pour les Intéresser à la Construction des Savoirs », Lycée Jean-Perrin, Marseille ;
Organization of the Neuromarseille Days and a debate “are non-human animal models valid for studying human behavior?’;
Contribution of a film directed by Nicolas Burlaud on the testimony of a person suffering from epilepsy (“Les fils qui se touchent”)
2019 : Article in Cerveau and Psycho : “Schizophrénie : Un mécanisme cérébral enfin identifié ? » ;
2021-today: Organisation of internal workshop at the INMED;
2014 Workshop in calcium imaging techniques for PhD students and post docs (Geneva and Marie Curie Program);
2013 Brain Awareness Week (AMU, Geneva); “Addiction: genes or environment?”;
2007-2012 Practical Work at « Tous Chercheurs » association (Marseille, https://www.touschercheurs.fr/);
2010 Organization of science fair for sixth graders (“Les Déméningeurs”, Orange, FR).
2007-Today: Supervision
Supervisor or co-supervisor of 6 PhD candidates: JC Vermoyal (PhD defense in 2023), A. Vigier (PhD defense in 2023), L. Goirand-Lopez (PhD defense in 2023), C. Matringhen (2021-2025) Laure Salvon (2023-2026), and Eesha Wirk (2024-2027).
Supervisor or co-supervisor of BSc or MSc degree students: S. Bensemmane, A. Jaouen, M. Pignol, C.Matringhen, S. Faresse (AMU), MP Hervé, M. Moulinier (University of Geneva), L. Rebuffet (Agrosup Dijon), A Chabassier (Mines-Paristech, CENTURI internship), H. Philippe (AgroParisTech, CENTURI internship), Jules Weber (Montpellier), Nikoleta Bourtouli (University of Athens, Neuroschool Master mobility)
PhD sponsor of 4 students (Sarah Tahrini, Rachel Carayon, Amandine Consumi and Lucas Rebuffet).
I am also going to supervise 1 Post-Doc and 1 Engineer (to be hired in 2024)
2007-Today: Communication
Speaker at international meetings:
2021 Australasian Developmental Neuroscience Forum Symposium (Brisbane, Australia), “Parvalbumin neurons: a missing link between neurpsychiatric diseases?”
2019 Cajal Institute Christmas Meeting (Madrid, Spain), Interneurons: pathological playmakers in epilepsy?
2019 Journées Françaises de l’épilepsie (Paris, FRA), Epilepsie du lobe temporal : la recherche académique en ordre de marche;
2017 NCCR-Synapsy Meeting (Villars-sur-Ozon, CH, Restoring wild type-like network dynamics and behaviour during adulthood in a mouse model of schizophrenia);
2017 NCCR-Synapsy Happy Hours (Geneva, CH), Restoring wild type-like network dynamics and behaviour during adulthood in a mouse model of schizophrenia;
> 5 Invitations for internal seminars (FMI Basel, Unil, Unige, EPFL)
> 10 Poster presentations (FENS, SfN Meeting)
2019-today: Reviewer
Postdoc fellowship funding committee: CENTURI;
PhD midterm evaluation and PhD committee: 2 at University of Geneva, 8 at University of Aix-Marseille;
Pair-reviewed journals: BMC Psychiatry, Journal of Neuroscience;
National funding agencies: National Science Center, Poland (NCN, 2021-2023).
2010-today: Institutional responsibilities
2010-2011 Representative of PhD Students (INMED)
2010-2011 Representative of Assistant Teachers (AMU)
2019-today Representative of Researchers (INMED)
2019-today Member of the Gender Equality committee (INSERM)
2020-2022 In Charge of the INMED’s mouse behavior testing facility
2024-today INMED Line Manager.
Distinct subtypes of grey matter heterotopia show subtype-specific morpho-electric neuronal properties and dynamics of epileptiform activity in mice Vermoyal, Jean-Christophe; Hardy, Delphine; Goirand-Lopez, Lucas; Vinck, Antonin; Silvagnoli, Lucas; Fortoul, Aurélien; Francis, Fiona; Cappello, Silvia; Bureau, Ingrid; Represa, Alfonso; Cardoso, Carlos; Watrin, Françoise; Marissal, Thomas; Manent, Jean-Bernard
Brain, 2024.
Kainate receptors modulate the microstructure of synchrony during dentate gyrus epileptiform activity
Lucas Goirand-Lopez, Marie Moulinier, Alexandre Vigier, Alan Carleton, Sarah F. Muldoon, Valérie Crépel, Thomas Marissal. Neurobiology of Disease 2023.
GluK2 Is a Target for Gene Therapy in Drug-Resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
Boileau C, Deforges S, Peret A, Scavarda D, Bartolomei F, Giles A, Partouche N, Gautron J, Viotti J, Janowitz H, Penchet G, Marchal C, Lagarde S, Trebuchon A, Villeneuve N, Rumi J, Marissal T, Khazipov R, Khalilov I, Martineau F, Maréchal M, Lepine A, Milh M, Figarella-Branger D, Dougy E, Tong S, Appay R, Baudouin S, Mercer A, Smith JB, Danos O, Porter R, Mulle C, Crépel V.
Ann Neurol. 2023
Loss of pyruvate import into mitochondria leads to calcium-mediated neuronal hyperexcitability.
De la Rossa A, Laporte MH, Astori S, Marissal T, Montessuit S, Sheshadri P, Ramos-Fernández E, Mendez P, Khani A, Quairiaux C, Taylor E, Rutter J, Nunes JM, Carleton A, Duchen MR, Sandi C and Martinou JC.
eLife 2022.
Drastic survival improvement in a refined pilocarpine mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Vigier A, Partouche N, Michel FJ, Crépel V, Marissal T.
Neurobiology of Disease 2021.
An inventory of basic research in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Rev Neurol. 2020 Marissal T.
Dentate granule cells recruited in home environment display a remarkable hypoexcitability. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. Pleau C, Peret A, Pearlstein E, Scalfati T, Vigier A, Marti G, Michel FJ, Marissal T, Crépel V. 2021.
Restoring wild type-like network dynamics and behaviour during adulthood in a mouse model of schizophrenia. Nature Neuroscience. Marissal T, Salazar RF, Bertollini C, Mutel S, De Roo M, Rodriguez I, Muller D, Carleton A. 2018
Pioneer glutamatergic cells develop into a morpho-functionally distinct population in the juvenile CA3 hippocampus. Nature Communications. Marissal T, Bonifazi P, Picardo MA, Nardou R, Petit LF, Baude A, Fishell GJ, Ben-Ari Y, Cossart R. 2012
Calreticulin levels determine onset of early muscle denervation by fast motoneurons of ALS model mice. Neurobiology of Disease. Bernard-Marissal N, Sunyach C, Marissal T, Raoul C, Pettmann B. 2015
Spontaneous glutamatergic activity induces a BDNF‐dependent potentiation of GABAergic synapses in the newborn rat hippocampus. Journal of Physiology. Kuczewski N, Langlois A, Fiorentino H, Bonnet S, Marissal T, Diabira D, Ferrand N, Porcher C, Gaiarsa JC. 2008
Onset of pup locomotion coincides with loss of NR2C/D-mediated cortico-striatal EPSCs and dampening of striatal network immature. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience activity Dehorter N, Michel FJ, Marissal T, Rotrou Y, B, Lopez C, Humphries MD and Hammond C. 2011