Cécile PAGEZE is joining the (soon to be) EMOTIV team as a new PhD student, under the supervision of Vincent DAVID. She obtained an International Master in Neuroscience from the University of Bordeaux in June 2021, and received a PhD fellowship following the competition of the Health Sciences Doctoral School of Bordeaux (ranking Neuro: 2 / General: 5). Cécile will be working on socioemotional profile and related circuits in two mouse strains expressing human mutations of nicotinic receptors linked to alcohol abuse. Two types of genetic manipulations of the α5-subunit in mice (α5SNP and α5KO) have shown that both mutant strains are prone to alcohol over-consumption, while displaying opposite profiles in anxiety-related behaviors. Cécile now aims at investigating more deeply the relationship between their socioemotional profile and addictive behaviors, focusing on social recognition (amygdalo-hippocampal/cortical) and social reward pathways (amygdalo-hypothalamic/striatal) using electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches.