Vincent Breton-Provencher

Vincent Breton-Provencher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Laval University, where his research centers on the neuronal correlates of learning and attention with emphasis on catecholaminergic systems.

His educational background includes:

• Undergraduate: Engineering Physics (optics and photonics)
• PhD: Université Laval (adult neurogenesis under Dr. Armen Saghatelyan)
• Postdoctoral training: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (noradrenergic circuits under Dr. Mriganka Sur)

Dr. Breton-Provencher employs optogenetics, two-photon functional imaging, electrophysiology, and computational approaches to dissect spatiotemporal dynamics of neuromodulators during behavior. His work investigates how catecholamines (noradrenaline and dopamine) regulate cortical processing during learning and how their dysfunction contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders, with key contributions in reinforcement learning and arousal control mechanisms.

Analysis of his 2018-2025 publications reveals a dominant focus on noradrenergic signaling in learned behavior, with increasing exploration of astrocyte interactions and cross-species neural circuit comparisons. His research consistently bridges molecular techniques with behavioral paradigms to establish causal links between neuromodulator dynamics and cognitive functions.

No scientific awards are mentioned in the provided information.

Dr. Breton-Provencher actively recruits students for his VBP Lab (vbplab.com) at the CERVO research center, emphasizing hands-on training in advanced neuroscience methodologies. While specific grants are not detailed, his work leverages institutional resources from Laval University and likely receives support from Canadian neuroscience funding bodies.

The VBP Lab operates within Quebec City's CERVO research ecosystem, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to translate mechanistic insights about catecholamine function into understanding neuropsychiatric disorders. Current projects integrate circuit-level manipulations with behavioral analytics to develop novel therapeutic frameworks.