Denis Jabaudon and Thomas Blauwblomme

The laboratory combines expertise in developmental neuroscience (DJ) and pediatric neurosurgical research and practice (TB). Our goal is to understand the mechanisms of developmental epilepsies to develop innovative therapies.

The human cerebral cortex develops through finely regulated processes. Progenitors generate different neurons that migrate to their final destinations to form functional circuits. Neurons in epileptic foci likely show altered developmental trajectories, creating "developmental allochrony" that leads to abnormal circuits. Our research has shown delayed expression of KCC2, a transporter essential for GABAergic inhibition, in focal cortical dysplasias (Bakouh et al., 2025). Furthermore, our studies reveal that different neuronal types follow distinct maturation trajectories with varying sensitivity to environmental changes (Baumann et al., 2024).

To investigate these questions, our approaches combine (1) analysis of human epileptic tissue, (2) single-cell sequencing technologies and spatial transcriptomics, (3) in vitro and in vivo models, and (4) functional analyses using electrophysiology. This approach allows us to study how pathological activity interferes with normal neuronal maturation.
 

Our objective is to identify specific therapeutic targets by characterizing dysregulated molecular pathways in each cell type. Understanding critical time windows could improve the treatment of pediatric epilepsies by targeting underlying developmental abnormalities.

Select publications (complete list: DJ TB):

• Bakouh et al. (2025); Brain. 148:549-563. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae262
• Baumann et al. (2025); BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.15.618395
• Klingler et al. (2021); Science https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba4517