Sensory and cognitive functions rely on the coordinated activation of large neuronal ensembles ("cell assemblies") distributed among different brain areas and stabilized by synaptic plasticity. Using electrophysiological recordings from many neurons at the same time, we try to understand how local microcircuits are functionnally organized, interact and participate in various cognitive behaviors. Recording from immature animals, we also investigate the effects of neuronal activity on the building of cortical circuits during development (for more details, please visit http://xavierlkg.free.fr).

(* = equally contributing authors)

1. Khazipov R.*, Sirota A.*, Leinekugel X.*, Holmes G., Ben-Ari Y. & Buzsaki G. (2004) : Early Motor Activity Drives Spindle-Bursts in the Developing Somatosensory Cortex, Nature 432 (7018), p.758-761.

2. Leinekugel X.*, Khazipov R.*, Cannon R., Hirase H., Ben-Ari Y. & Buzsaki G.* (2002) : Correlated bursts of activity in the neonatal hippocampus in vivo. Science 296 (5575), p. 2049-2052.

3. Harris K.D.*, Hirase H.*, Leinekugel X.*, Henze D.A. & Buzsaki G. (2001) : Temporal interaction between single spikes and complex spike bursts in hippocampal pyramidal cells. Neuron 32 (1), p. 141-149.

4. Leinekugel X., Khalilov I., Ben-Ari Y. & Khazipov R. (1998) : Giant Depolarising Potentials: the septal pole of hippocampus paces the activity of the intact neonatal septo-hippocampal complex in vitro. Journal of Neuroscience 18 (16), p. 6349-6357.

5. Leinekugel X., Medina I., Khalilov I., Ben-Ari Y. & Khazipov R. (1997) : Ca2+ oscillations mediated by the synergistic excitatory actions of GABA-A and NMDA receptors in the neonatal hippocampus, Neuron 18, p. 243-255.