Christian Lüscher (neurobiologist)

Christian Lüscher, M.D, (born April 13, 1963) is a Swiss neurobiologist and full professor at the Department of Basic Neurosciences of the University of Geneva.[1] He is also an attending in neurology at the Geneva University Hospital.[2] Lüscher is known for his contributions in the field addiction, particularly for establishing links of causality between the drug-evoked synaptic plasticity and adaptive behavior in mice.[3]

Early life

Lüscher was born in Bern, Switzerland and grew up there in the lake of Constance area.

Education

Lüscher studied medicine in Lausanne and Berne and obtained his federal diploma in 1990. In his MD degree, he studied the effects of axon morphology on action potential propagation. After clinical residencies at the Inselspital in Bern and the University Hopital in Geneva, he left for a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF (Advisor Roger Nicoll). He returned to University of Geneva with a career development award of the Swiss National Science Foundation,[4] where he first became associated (2003) and then full professor (2009)[5]

Research

Lüscher studies how addictive drugs alter synaptic transmission in the reward system of the mouse brain.[6] He has proposed a mechanisitic classification of addictive drugs and developed optogenetic stimulation protocols that when applied in a mouse model of addiction can erase adaptive behavior.[7] In his most recent work he explores the molecular basis of individual vulnerability to addiction and launched several translational projects. He has initiated the OptoDBS conference series,[8] seeking to emulate optogenetic innervations with deep brain stimulation.

He has been two times awarded with an ERC Advanced Grant (2013 and 2020).

Awards and honors

Key papers

Creed, M, Pascoli V, Lüscher C. Refining deep brain stimulation to emulate optogenetic treatment of synaptic pathology. Science. 2015, 347:659-64 DOI:10.1126/science.1260776

Pascoli V, Terrier J, Espallergues J, Valjent E, O'Connor EC, Lüscher C. Contrasting forms of cocaine-evoked plasticity control components of relapse. Nature. 2014, 509:459-64. DOI:10.1038/nature13257

Bocklisch C, Bocklisch C, Pascoli V, Wong JC, House DR, Yvon C, de Roo M, Tan KR, Lüscher C. Cocaine disinhibits dopamine neurons by potentiation of GABA transmission in the ventral tegmental area. Science. 2013, 341:1521-5 DOI: 10.1126/science.1237059

Pascoli V, Turiault M & Lüscher C. Reversing cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity to reset drug-induced adaptive behavior. Nature, 2011, 481:71-5.DOI:10.1038/nature10709

Tan KR, Brown MT, Labouebe G, Yvon C, Creton C, Fritschy JM, Rudolph U & Lüscher C. Neural bases for addictive properties of benzodiazepines. Nature, 2010, 463:769-74 DOI:10.1038/nature08758

References
  1. "Basic Neurosciences - Neurosciences fondamentales - UNIGE". Unige.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. "L'équipe du service neurologie à Genève aux HUG". Hug-ge.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  3. "Laboratory of Prof. Christian Lüscher - C. Lüscher Synapses, circuits and behaviour in addiction and related disorders - UNIGE". Addictionscience.unige.ch. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  4. "SNF - P3 Forschungsdatenbank - Project 54962". P3.snf.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  5. "Christian Luscher - Neurosciences fondamentales - UNIGE". Unige.ch. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  6. "Mice experiments explain how addiction changes our brains". Sciencenordic.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  7. "Resetting the Addictive Brain - DiscoverMagazine.com". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  8. "OptoDBS". Optodbs.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  9. {{cite web|url=http://www.otto-naegeli-preis.ch/accueil.html%7Ctitle= 2020 Otto Naegeli Prize}
  10. {{cite web|url=https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/2019-schaefer-scholars-announced%7Ctitle= 2019 Schaefer Research Scholar}
  11. "Théodore Ott Prize". Samw.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  12. "Former Awardees - Betty & David Koetser Foundation for Brain Research". Koetserfoundation.org. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  13. "Senate". Samw.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  14. "Cloëtta Prize - Max Cloëtta Stiftung". Cloetta-foundation.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
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