History

History of the lab

Construction de la Kayser-Wilhelm-Universität

Construction de la Kayser-Wilhelm-Universität (vers 1883) ; à gauche, l’observatoire ; à droite, la serre ; à droite de la cathédrale, l’actuelle Faculté de physique.

Bordering the gardens of the University Palace, right next to the University of Strasbourg’s botanical garden, the LNCA occupies part of the building that also houses the Department of Psychology. Like other university buildings on the so-called historic campus, this one is part of the “Neustadt”—literally the “new town”—built during the reign of Emperor William I (1797–1888). The Prussian army and more than 200,000 shells had forced Strasbourg to surrender in September 1870, after 46 days of resistance. Initially, the building housed the Institute of Chemistry of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität, established in 1872.

The history of the LNCA, both rich and complex, dates back more than 40 years. Indeed, under the leadership of Bruno Will and Christian Kelche, the first laboratory was established on October 1, 1982. It was then named the LNC: Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology. The central theme of the research conducted there is the analysis of behavior from a neurobiological perspective: the aim is to understand how the brain determines certain behaviors, and to study the brain’s ability to recover certain functions impaired following a lesion. The experiments explore the effects of physical and social environmental enrichment, the administration of neurotrophic factors, and intracerebral transplants of fetal neurons on the learning abilities of rats with brain damage.

Depuis les jardins du palais universitaire, vue sur la faculté de psychologie, qui abrite notamment les locaux du LNCA.

This research, conducted in the 1980s in a field that was still in its infancy, transformed our understanding of brain plasticity by revealing the brain’s ability to adapt, reorganize, and even repair itself, thereby opening up new avenues for innovative therapies for brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and nervous system trauma. In 1989, the LNC became the DNBC (Department of Neurophysiology and Behavioral Biology) and, as a department, became part of the CNRS Neurochemistry Center. In 1992, the laboratory became the LNBC (Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology) before being renamed LN2C (Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience) in 1995. In 2007, the LN2C became the LINC (Laboratory of Imaging and Cognitive Neuroscience), led by Christian Kelche. In 2013, the LINC became the LNCA (Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neuroscience), led by Jean-Christophe Cassel until the end of 2023 and by Chantal Mathis since 2024.

Current Research: Toward a Neurobiological Understanding of Cognitive and Adaptive Processes and the Evolution of Cognition

Since the groundbreaking discoveries of the 1980s on brain plasticity, the laboratory has been conducting in-depth research into the neurobiological and molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes, both under normal and pathological conditions.

Several memory systems allow us to store lasting traces of our experiences in our nervous system. These traces organize and adapt our behaviors to the constraints of our environment. Under certain circumstances (neurodegenerative diseases, eating disorders, life adversities, pain, aging, etc.), the brain can fail and lead to inappropriate behaviors.

The term “plasticity” describes the dynamics of brain processes activated in response to an environmental signal. It focuses on the plasticity underlying the neuroadaptive mechanisms engaged throughout life (from early childhood to old age) in both normal and abnormal situations (neurodegenerative diseases, eating disorders, pain, and stress). These mechanisms require lasting changes and reorganizations at the molecular and cellular levels, as well as at the level of neural circuits and brain networks.
 

Drawing on various human and non-human models and approaches that model, for example, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, bulimia nervosa, maternal deprivation, chronic pain, and aging, the laboratory’s research aims to decipher the dynamics of functional systems and the neurobiological and molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes under normal or pathological conditions.

Furthermore, by adopting approaches from the behavioral sciences and neurosciences, the laboratory investigates the evolution of cognition to better understand the evolutionary history of our cognitive, social, and cultural capacities.