Neurobiologist Sonia GAREL, Professor at the Collège de France and Member of the Academy of Sciences, has led the « Brain Development and Plasticity team » at the ENS Institute of Biology (IBENS) since 2008. Sonia Garel is a pioneer in the study of the mechanisms that control the assembly of forebrain neural circuits during embryogenesis and postnatal development. Her fascinating research shows that brain activity is regulated by immune cells, called “microglia” that play a key role in neurodegenerative diseases. She combines in an original way transcriptomic analyses, imaging and models of genetically modified mice. Her latest work describes the crucial role of embryonic microglia in maintaining structural integrity during brain morphogenesis, with major implications for our understanding of microglia functions and brain development (A.R. Lawrence et al., Cell 2024).
