Olivier Thibault has been investigating hippocampal neuronal calcium dysregulation with aging for nearly 30 years. Techniques used to probe neuronal calcium, range from single cell electrophysiology (afterhyperpolarization-AHP; L-type voltage-gated calcium channels) to imaging (epifluorescence and confocal microscopy). Unfortunately, while these techniques helped identify mechanisms and targets responsible for altered neuronal communication at the single cell level, they do not address network activity in groups of neurons in vivo.

Our lab is now addressing this shortcoming using multiphoton imaging of somatosensory cortex neuronal communication during peripheral tactile stimulation. We are focusing on central mechanisms underlying increases in falls in the elderly, and investigating neuronal calcium networks (activation, synchronization and size). We test the hypothesis that age-dependent alterations in network properties across large groups of cells can be redressed rapidly with intranasal insulin delivery.

The lab is currently redirecting single hippocampal neuron research to a new area encompassing a new modality and function, this time, associated with motor control. With a 30-40% annual rate of fall, individuals 65 years and older represent a population target with elevated injury-related morbidity and mortality, yet it is surprising that few central mechanisms have been investigated and few, if any, strategies are available for the prevention of falls in the elderly.