Jean-Francois Poulin, PhD
Jean-Francois Poulin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at 91社区 who joined The Neuro in 2019. His research was fundamental in establishing the molecular diversity of dopamine neurons. Although these neurons represent less than 0.001% of the neuronal cells in the human brain, they are essential for the proper functioning of the brain.
Poulin鈥檚 lab studies how dopamine circuits are formed during development and how these circuits are affected in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. The lab鈥檚 research is based on the hypothesis that each dopamine neuron subtype is embedded within a defined neural circuit associated with unique properties and functions.
The lab鈥檚 goal is twofold:
1) To map the neuronal circuits of each dopamine neuron subtype in the developing and mature mouse brain. This is accomplished using both newly developed and prevailing approaches to map the connectivity matrices of neuron subtypes and to provide the molecular characterization of interconnected neurons.
2) To understand how these circuits are affected in transgenic models of diseases, initially focussing structural synaptic integrity, neuronal connectivity, and aberrant circuit activation in schizophrenia and Parkinson鈥檚 disease models. They aim at restoring normal behaviors by manipulating key identified circuits using chemogenetic and optogenetic approaches.
This research will directly impact our understanding of the symptoms of the numerous human diseases that are directly affected by dysfunctional dopamine circuits. To learn more about the Poulin鈥檚 lab research visit
Poulin's research is funded by Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL), Brain Canada, Parkinson鈥檚 Canada
Poulin JF and Awatramani R. (2025) Molecular heterogeneity of midbrain dopamine neurons. Chapter in The Hanbook of Dopamine (Edited by Cragg and Walton).
Gaertner Z*, Oram C*, Schneeweis A, Schonfeld E, Bolduc C, Chen C, Dombeck D, Parisiadou L, Poulin JF*, Awatramani R*. (2024) Molecular and spatial transcriptomic classification of midbrain dopamine neurons and their alterations in a LRRK2G2019S model of Parkinson's disease. eLife:
Pereira Luppi M, Azcorra M, Caronia-Brown G, Poulin JF, Gaertner Z, Gatica S, Moreno-Ramos OA, Nouri N, Dubois M, Ma YC, Ramakrishnan C, Fenno L, Kim YS, Deisseroth K, Cicchetti F, Dombeck DA, Awatramani R. (2021) Sox6 expression distinguishes dorsally and
ventrally biased dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra with distinctive properties and embryonic origins. Cell Reports, 37:109975.
Poulin JF, Luppi MP, Hofer C, Caronia G, Hsu PK, Chan CS, Awatramani R. (2020) PRISM: A Progenitor-Restricted Intersectional Fate Mapping Approach Redefines Forebrain Lineages. Developmental Cell, 53:740-753.
Poulin JF, Gaertner Z, Moreno-Ramos OA, Awatramani R. (2020) Classification of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons Using Single-Cell Gene Expression Profiling Approaches. Trends in Neuroscience, 43: 155-169.
Poulin JF, Caronia G, Hofer C, Cui Q, Helm B, Ramakrishnan C, Chan CS, Dombeck DA, Deisseroth K, Awatramani R. (2018) Mapping projections of molecularly defined dopamine neuron subtypes using intersectional genetic approaches. Nature Neuroscience, 21:1260鈥�71.
Cui Q, Pitt JE, Pamukcu A, Poulin JF, Mabrouk OS, Fiske MP, Fan IS, Augustine EC, Kelver D, Young KA, Kennedy RT, Awatramani RB, and Chan CS. (2016) Blunted mGluR activation disinhibits striatopallidal transmission in parkinsonian mice. Cell reports, 17:2431-44.
Poulin JF, Tasic B, Hjerling-Leffler J, Trimarchi JM, Awatramani R. (2016) Disentangling neuronal diversity using single-cell transcriptomics. Nature Neuroscience, 19:1131-41.
Poulin JF, Zou J, Drouin-Ouellet J, Kwang-Youn KA, Cicchetti F, Awatramani R. (2014) Defining midbrain dopaminergic neuron diversity by single-cell gene profiling. Cell Reports, 9: 930-943.
