Atypical and Typical Early Neurodevelopment: Toward the Identication of Outcome Biomarkers 

Biography 

I am a neurologist in the pediatric neurology department, directed by Professor Brigitte Chabrol, at La Timone Enfants, in Marseille. I obtained my medical degree at Bordeaux University and performed my residency and fellowship at Robert Debré Hospital, in Paris. I completed my Ph.D. in the Inserm unit of Professor Pierre Gressens. I spent two years in Montreal, Canada, where I completed my clinical and postdoctoral fellowship at Sainte Justine Hospital and Research Center. 

I returned to France in 2019. My clinical and research focus is on early neurodevelopment. 

Summary: 

The fetal period and early years of life are critical windows during which the occurrence of a brain injury or the expression of chronic disease will impact future neurodevelopment. Identifying biomarkers that provide early detection of children at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders is of great importance because it allows timely and targeted intervention. I will describe three pathological contexts that may occur early in life with signicant neurodevelopmental consequences. 

First, I will present my Ph.D. data about the epileptogenesis of the developing brain using the modelization of two viral epileptogenic triggers—viral encephalitis and prolonged febrile seizures—with a combined model of viral inammation (TLR3 agonist injection) and compressed epileptogenesis (rapid electric kindling) in immature and adult rats. I will discuss the potential biomarkers of the epileptogenic process in the immature brain. 

Then, I will focus on neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) . Cardiac encephalopathy, the cerebral consequence of CHD, begins in the fetal period. Despite signicant improvement in cardiac surgery and ICU management, more than half of children with CHD will have a neurodevelopmental disorder. I will present my postdoctoral data using meta ox monitoring with frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy and diuse correlation spectroscopy, aiming to understand metabolic perioperative brain changes in neonates with transposition of the great arteries and identify biomarker of motor delay at 4 months. 

Finally, I will present my collaboration with Dr. Clément François on language development in late preterm . This project investigates the correlation between speech sound encoding (cortical auditory evoked potential and complex auditory brainstem response recordings) and the emergence of lexical representations in children born preterm. Our purpose is to identify biomarker of language decit in this vulnerable population.