Alexandre Bonnin, Ph.D.
Young Investigator

Dr. Alex Bonnin obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Paris XI and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In the Unit of Neuropharmacology directed by Professor Gilles Fillion, he was involved in characterizing the patho-physiological role of a small neuropeptide, allosteric modulator of the 5-HT_1B/1D receptors in the adult brain. In 1999, Dr. Bonnin joined Dr. Anne Calof’s laboratory at UC Irvine as a postdoctoral fellow to acquire background training in developmental neurobiology and to study the developmental mechanisms governing the pro and anti-neurogenic effects of several members of the BMP family in olfactory epithelium neurogenesis. In order to address questions pertaining to the complex mechanisms of embryonic brain circuits formation and their relationship with psychiatric disorders, he then joined Dr. Pat Levitt’s lab at Vanderbilt University in 2003. Dr Bonnin is currently studying the role of 5-HT signaling in mammalian forebrain development.
Dr. Bonnin’s general interest is to understand how neurotransmitters, in particular serotonin (5-HT), influence mammalian nervous system development through modulation of axon guidance mechanisms; this research should provide a better understanding of how factors and mechanisms contributing to early serotonergic dysfunction impact embryonic brain circuits formation leading to abnormal adult behaviors.

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