Théorique, numérique
Synaptic modifications are thought to underlie learning and memory, yet individual synapses often contain only tens or hundreds of copies of neurotransmitter receptors responsible for synaptic transmission. To address how synapses can remain both responsive to meaningful activity-induced plastic changes and resistant to stochastic fluctuations given the relatively low molecule numbers involved, it is important to develop a quantitative understanding of the mechanisms that govern the accumulation of neurotransmitter receptors at synaptic domains. The prospective PhD candidate will tackle this problem by developing detailed, particle-based computational models that account for scaffold protein and receptor diffusion and interaction in the postsynaptic membrane, combined with the mathematical analysis of rate equations that describe their coupled spatiotemporal dynamics. Through detailed biophysical modeling and statistical mechanics analyses, we thus aim to gain fundamental insights into the organization of postsynaptic domains The project is part of an ongoing collaboration with the experimental group of Christian Specht at INSERM research unit “Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System” (Kremlin Bicêtre Hospital, Paris area). The position is fully funded for three years by a French government contract, and will start in October 2024.