Léna Popa

Léna Popa is a Professor in the Department of Biology at École normale supérieure (ENS Paris), leading the research team C. Léna / D. Popa. Their work focuses on neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cerebellum-forebrain interactions, particularly in motor learning, fear extinction, and neurological disorders. The team employs advanced techniques such as optogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and anatomical tracing to study cerebellar circuits in health and disease.

Research Interests: The team investigates how cerebellar signals regulate broader brain networks, including thalamocortical and limbic systems. Key areas include cerebellar contributions to motor adaptation, fear memory processing, and therapeutic interventions for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Their approach combines multi-scale analyses—from cellular physiology to network dynamics—under anesthetized and behaving animal models.

Recent Work Trends: Recent studies highlight cerebellar roles in motor skill consolidation, fear extinction modulation, and translational approaches to correct movement disorders. The team’s articles emphasize cerebellar-thalamic pathways, synaptic plasticity, and cross-talk with cortical regions. This work bridges basic neuroscience and clinical applications, targeting cerebellar-based therapies.

Awards and Recognition: While direct awards for Léna Popa are not explicitly listed in the text, the team’s research has contributed to significant findings in cerebellar neuroscience, reflecting high scholarly impact.

Labs & Collaborations: The lab is part of the Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS) and collaborates with platforms in bioinformatics, imaging, and electrophysiology. Ongoing projects explore cerebellar influences on sleep, microglial regulation of synaptic activity, and dystonia pathophysiology through animal models.