Enthused by her bachelor’s degree in Physics, Dr. Desjardins obtained her PhD in biomedical engineering from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) and École Polytechnique de Montréal, followed by a post-doctoral training at the University of California in San Diego. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Département de physique, de génie physique, et d’optique at Université Laval and a researcher at the Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval. Her research focuses on the imaging of vasculature and oxygenation.
A window on the brain
Our cells need oxygen to function. A change in tissue oxygenation levels can thus be a sign of various pathologies. However, to this day, few methods are available to directly measure oxygenation in biological tissues. Dr. Desjardins’ research takes advantage of a newly developed technique to measure oxygenation in mouse brain using two-photon microscopy. This method allows us to observe the development of physiological or pathological phenomena with time. She also develops biophysical models describing the links between blood flow, oxygenation, and metabolism.
In her lab, these methods are used to study the link between neuronal activity, oxygenation, and blood flow in the brain. This application is made possible by combining oxygenation measurement with light stimulation of neurons in the brains of genetically-modified mice. Another application is following the development of a tumor in a mouse cancer model. By observing the evolution of tumor blood vessels and their effect on oxygenation levels, this research will improve our understanding of the mechanisms of tumor development, with the hope of guiding future therapies.
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The implication of a diversity of non-neuronal cells in disorders affecting brain networks
Journal ArticleFront Cell Neurosci, 16 , 2022.
Baseline oxygen consumption decreases with cortical depth
Journal ArticlePLoS Biol, 20 (10), 2022.
Toward an integrative neurovascular framework for studying brain networks
Journal ArticleNeurophotonics, 9 (3), 2022.
Movement correction method for laser speckle contrast imaging of cerebral blood flow in cranial windows in rodents
Journal ArticleJ Biophotonics, 15 (1), 2022.
Optical measurement of microvascular oxygenation and blood flow responses in awake mouse cortex during functional activation
Journal ArticleJ Cereb Blood Flow Metab, 42 (3), 2022.
Modeling of vascular space occupancy and BOLD functional MRI from first principles using real microvascular angiograms
Journal ArticleMagn Reson Med, 85 (1), 2021.
A Suite of Neurophotonic Tools to Underpin the Contribution of Internal Brain States in fMRI
Journal ArticleCurr Opin Biomed Eng, 18 , 2021.
Structural and Functional Features of Developing Brain Capillaries, and Their Alteration in Schizophrenia
Journal ArticleFront Cell Neurosci, 14 , 2020.
Chronic Cranial Windows for Long Term Multimodal Neurovascular Imaging in Mice
Journal ArticleFront Physiol, 11 , 2020.
Imaging the Neuroimmune Dynamics Across Space and Time
Journal ArticleFront Neurosci, 14 , 2020.
Active projects
- A multimodal imaging platform to quantify noradrenergic modulation of neurovascular activity in vivo, from 2023-03-31 to 2025-03-30
- A multimodal imaging platform to quantify noradrenergic modulation of neurovascular activity in vivo (projet enfant), from 2023-03-31 to 2025-03-30
- Développent de méthodes d'imagerie multimodale vasculaire et de l'oxygénation, from 2018-04-01 to 2024-03-31
- Neurovascular networks : a few framework for modelling structural and functional connectivity in aging mice, from 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31
- une fenêtre sur le cerveau : l'oxygénation et la perfusion comme biomarqueurs, from 2021-07-01 to 2025-06-30
- Une fenêtre sur le cerveau : l'oxygénation et la perfusion comme biomarqueurs, from 2021-07-01 to 2025-06-30
Recently finished projects
- Mesures et modélisation de l'oxygénation dans les réseaux vasculaires tumoraux, from 2019-04-01 to 2022-03-31