Perceiving stress via olfactory processes
Paula's research, in collaboration with the University of Calgary, began in 2019 and focused on social interaction between mice. Subsequently, certain mouse behaviors studied prompted Paula to take a closer look at the social transmission of stress.
She observed that a mouse could detect the stress of another mouse, during a social interaction situation, and adapted its brain activity as if it had itself received the electric shock of stress. Paula therefore focused on the cognitive consequence of stress transmission and studied the impact on the memory of the observer mouse.
"The observer mouse actually detects the stress smell of the stressed mouse. Transmitted stress works in the same way as experienced stress: the mouse that receives the stress subsequently fails memory tests, just like the stressed mouse. After various experiments involving astrocyte genes, I demonstrated the role of astrocyte CB1 receptors in the social transmission of stress via olfactory processes."
Biology-health-environment award
In 2022, Paula participated in the My thesis in 180 seconds scientific outreach contest. Last June, as part of the thesis prize auditions, she presented her research results to an interdisciplinary jury and was awarded the Biology-health-environment award. "It was a very good experience. The jury asked me different questions from those I'm used to. This award is a great recognition and will help me for the rest of my post-doctorate project."
Paula is currently pursuing a post-doctorate at the University of Bordeaux, analyzing the impact of noradrenalin on astrocytes. She will then begin a post-doctorate in Spain in 2026, where she will study the links between the hippocampus and memory.
"I want to thank my thesis director and co-director, Giovanni MARSICANO (Neurocentre Magendie, France) and Jaideep Singh BAINS (Krembil Institute, Canada), for their support. Even though I couldn’t travel to Canada because of the Covid-19 epidemic, they were always available and the collaboration went very well."