The Brain Prize Course: Advanced Techniques for Synapse Biology

23 June – 11 July 2025

Synapses are sites of information transfer and storage in the brain. These specialised structures integrate complex signals and undergo functional changes that underlie the formation of memories. Synaptic dysfunction is associated with early stages of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and underlies neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability.

Studying synapse function and plasticity is key to understanding brain circuits that underlie behaviour, and to identify synaptic malfunction mechanisms underpinning brain diseases. This course will allow students to integrate theoretical and methodological concepts on synapse biology with hands-on experience on state-of-the art imaging, functional and computational methodologies. The course provides an in-depth understanding to many concepts such as synapse formation and maintenance, pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms, structural and functional synaptic plasticity, synaptic integration in neuronal networks and synaptopathies. Hands-on experimental projects conducted in small groups with the support of senior scientists will expose the students to methodologies at the forefront of research in this field.

Course directors

  • Cécile Charrier (Institut de Biologie de l’ENS, France)
  • Julien Dupuis (University of Bordeaux, France)

Anne-Sophie Hafner, Radboud Universiteit – Nijmegen, Netherlands
Chao Sun, Aarhus University, Denmark
Corette Wierenga, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Cyril Hanus, Institute for Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris, France
David Stroebel, Institut de Biologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
Emilie Pacary, Neurocentre Magendie, Bordeaux, France
Eric Hosy, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France
Etienne Herzog, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France
Jonathan Elegheert, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France
Lynette Lim, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium
Mathieu Letellier, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France
Matteo Fossati, CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
Melissa Cizeron, Mechanisms in Integrated Life Sciences, Lyon, France
Melissa Herman, Charité Berlin, Germany
Monica Fernandez-Monreal, Bordeaux Imaging Center, France
Olivier Rossier, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France
Oriane Mauger, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry – Frankfurt, Germany
Samira Benadda, Institut de Biologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
Ségolène Bompierre, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Exposure to central topics in synapse biology, and hands-on experience with exciting projects with innovative techniques

The research in synapse biology holds a central place in Neuroscience, as it connects findings in molecular and cellular Neuroscience to the understanding of circuits and behaviour. In addition, synaptopathy is a major pathogenic mechanism in both neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The last decades have brought enormous advances in the methodologies used to study synapses, and which endow researchers with the possibility to bridge from the molecular analyses of synapses to cellular, circuits and behaviour approaches to tackle central questions about how the brain works.

This course provides the opportunity to learn from experts in the field about questions at the forefront of synapse biology, and to obtain hands-on experience with innovative techniques to study synapses. These include gene transfer, live imaging of proteins and signalling molecules (including in vivo 2 photon microscopy), superresolution microscopy for cellular imaging of proteins at excitatory and inhibitory synapses, electrophysiology, animal behaviour and computational methods.

  1. Synaptic traficking
  2. Synaptogenesis, synapse adhesion and synapse maintenance
  3. Presynaptic mechanisms
  4. Inhibitory synapses
  5. Structural and functional synaptic plasticity
  6. Synaptic integration in neuronal networks
  7. Calcium dynamics and signaling
  8. Microglia in the shaping of neural circuits
  9. Synaptic dysfunction in disease
  10. Synaptic computation
  • Whole cell patch clamp recordings in brain slices
  • Patch-seq / RNAseq
  • Co-culture synaptogenic assay
  • Synaptic interactome analysis through proximity-dependent labeling
  • Stereotaxic surgery with cannulae implantation
  • Behavior analysis
  • Confocal time-lapse imaging and FRAP measurements
  • FLIM-FRET measurements for activity sensors
  • Single-molecule tracking and PALM studies
  • Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM)
  • hiPSC culturing and neuronal differentiation
  • MEA recording: Axion Maestro Pro
  • Two photon imaging

Honorary lectures from Brain Prize Winners

Erin Schuman – Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany
Michael Greenberg – Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany

Keynote Speakers

Corette Wierenga, Radboud Universiteit – Nijmegen, Netherlands
Frank Polleux, Columbia University, New York, USA
Monica Di Luca, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Nelson Rebola, Institut du Cerveau, Paris, France
Patrik Verstreken, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium
Peter Scheiffele, Universität Basel, Switzerland