Dr Maxime Assous

(he/him)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research interests

My research investigates how neural circuits in the basal ganglia, particularly the striatum, support learning, decision-making, motivation and cognitive flexibility. I am especially interested in how interactions between dopamine, acetylcholine and local inhibitory circuits regulate striatal processing, and how disruption of these mechanisms contributes to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

A major focus of the Assous Lab is Parkinson’s disease, where cognitive symptoms can substantially affect quality of life but remain less well understood than the classical motor symptoms. We aim to identify the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying impairments in flexible behaviour and adaptive decision-making, and to determine whether these mechanisms can provide new therapeutic targets.

Our work combines ex vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, fibre photometry, genetically encoded neurotransmitter sensors, in vivo calcium imaging and behavioural analysis. We integrate these approaches to connect synaptic and cellular mechanisms with circuit activity and behaviour.

Current research

Cholinergic control of striatal circuits

We are investigating how striatal cholinergic interneurons regulate local microcircuits through nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Our work has identified cholinergic mechanisms that recruit GABAergic inhibition within the striatum and influence the activity of projection neurons involved in action selection and behavioural flexibility.

A particular focus is the role of β2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in coordinating acetylcholine, dopamine and inhibitory signalling. We are examining how disruption of these mechanisms alters striatal circuit function and contributes to cognitive deficits associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Dopamine–acetylcholine interactions in Parkinson’s disease

We study how progressive dopamine loss reshapes communication between dopaminergic axons, cholinergic interneurons and GABAergic interneurons. We investigate how local striatal circuits adapt as degeneration progresses and whether these adaptations compensate for, or contribute to, behavioural dysfunction.

Using complementary models of Parkinson’s disease, we examine how these circuit changes relate to cognitive flexibility, reinforcement learning, motivation and effort-based decision-making.

Neural dynamics during flexible behaviour

We use miniscope calcium imaging and fibre photometry to monitor neuronal populations and neurotransmitter dynamics in behaving animals. Genetically encoded sensors for dopamine and acetylcholine, together with imaging of defined neuronal populations, allow us to investigate how neuromodulatory signals and striatal activity change as animals learn, adapt to changing rules and modify their decisions following positive or negative outcomes.

Collaborations

Our research involves collaborations across Cardiff University and internationally, bringing together expertise in basal ganglia physiology, Parkinson’s disease, synaptic plasticity, behavioural neuroscience, imaging and computational analysis.

Current collaborative work includes research on corticostriatal and thalamostriatal circuits, dopamine and acetylcholine signalling, mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease, and the development of new approaches for monitoring neural and neurotransmitter activity during behaviour.

Research funding

My research programme has received support from organisations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Royal Society, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD), and the Busch Biomedical Research Foundation. I am also involved in collaborative research supported by major UK and international funding programmes, including the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR).

Further information about our research, publications, people and current projects is available through the Assous Lab website.

Teaching

I am Deputy Module Lead and Examination Lead for Fundamental Neuroscience, BI2432 - BI2042. My role includes contributing to the overall organisation and development of the module, designing assessment, coordinating examination processes, and developing substantial new teaching content. I teach topics including neuropharmacology, neurotransmitter systems and experimental approaches in neuroscience, with an emphasis on connecting fundamental mechanisms to contemporary research.

I also contribute to Contemporary Topics in Disease (BI3351), where I lead neuroscience-focused tutorials designed to develop students’ skills in critical analysis and interpretation of primary research. My tutorials include discussion of neurological disease research, translational challenges in Alzheimer’s disease, and comparison of experimental approaches across disease areas.

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, where I established the Assous Lab in 2023. My research investigates the neuronal circuits and neuromodulatory mechanisms that support learning, cognitive flexibility and adaptive behaviour, with a particular focus on the basal ganglia and their dysfunction in neurological disease.

Before moving to Cardiff, I was a Research Faculty member at Rutgers University in the USA from 2018 to 2023. I previously completed my postdoctoral training in James Tepper’s laboratory at Rutgers University from 2013 to 2018, where I studied striatal microcircuits, interneuron diversity and cholinergic regulation of basal ganglia function.

I obtained my PhD in Neuroscience from Aix-Marseille University and the CNRS in France in 2013, following earlier training in neuroscience and cellular biology.

My research has been supported by organisations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Royal Society and Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. I also contribute to the wider neuroscience community as a Section Editor for the European Journal of Neuroscience and as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the International Basal Ganglia Society.

Honours and awards

• Michael J. Fox Foundation Research Grant, Principal Investigator 
• Royal Society Research Grant, Principal Investigator 
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award, Principal Investigator 
• Busch Biomedical Research Award, Co-Principal Investigator 
• Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute (NMHII) Collaborative/Innovation Award 

Academic positions

• 2023–present — Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
• 2018–2022 — Research Associate (Non-tenure-track Faculty), Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
• 2013–2018 — Postdoctoral Researcher, James M. Tepper Laboratory, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA

Committees and reviewing

• 2026–present — Executive Committee Member, International Basal Ganglia Society (IBAGS)
• 2026 — Fellowship Review Panel Member, Parkinson Disease Foundation
• 2025–present — Section Editor, European Journal of Neuroscience
• 2025–present — Executive Committee Member, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute (NMHII), Cardiff University
• 2025–present — Member, Academic Misconduct Committee, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University
• 2025–2026 — Guest/Topic Editor, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Research Topic on striatal cell types and circuit function
• Ongoing — Peer reviewer for international neuroscience journals and research funding scheme

Supervisions

• Basal ganglia and striatal circuit function
• Neural circuits underlying learning, decision-making and cognitive flexibility
• Parkinson’s disease and cognitive dysfunction
• Dopamine and acetylcholine signalling in the brain
• Striatal cholinergic and GABAergic interneurons
• Neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity
• Corticostriatal and thalamostriatal circuits
• Reinforcement learning and adaptive behaviour
• Motivation and effort-based decision-making
• In vivo calcium imaging and fibre photometry
• Electrophysiology and optogenetic circuit analysis
• Neuropharmacology and genetically encoded neurotransmitter sensors
• Cellular and circuit mechanisms of neurological disease
• Behavioural neuroscience and computational analysis of decision-making