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Etienne JP Maes

MD PhD student

I am an MDCM & PhD student at McGill University under the supervision of Dr Mark Brandon and Mihaela Iordanova. I currently study the role of midbrain dopamine signalling as a teaching signal to drive learning and update higher-order associations beyond reward, and how input from the hippocampus mediates this process during memory retrieval, using a combination of behaviour, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and fiber photometry. I previously completed a bachelor’s degree in Behavioural Neuroscience at Concordia University, where my thesis focused on the role of dopamine in associative learning. I am interested in studying how the brain drives behaviour in order to better model what specific neural computations are altered in disease states, allowing for the development of more targeted therapeutics. I am also the Head of Publications at Sex[M]ed, an NGO and educational platform for healthcare practitioners and trainees. When not pursuing my ultimate passion (sleeping), you can find me taking care of my plants or agonizing over where to place a comma in an unexceptional piece of poetry.

Usypchuk AA, Maes EJP, Lozzi M, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G, Esber G, Iordanova MD. Rewarding Value or Prediction Error: Settling the debate over the role of dopamine in reward learning. (2022) bioRxiv doi:10.1101/2022.11.06.515338


Drake SS, Charabati M, Simas T, Xu YT, Maes EJP, Shi S, Antel J, Prat A, Morquette B, Fournier AE. 3-Dimensional immunostaining and automated deep-learning based analysis of nerve degeneration. (2022) International Journal of Molecular Sciences. doi:10.3390/ijms232314811


Gostolupce D, Lay BP, Maes EJP, Iordanova MD. Understanding associative learning through higher-order conditioning. (2022) Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.845616


Luigi M, Luo M, Maes EJP*. Buprenorphine Opioid Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (2021) JAMA Internal Medicine. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.0777 *corresponding author


Maes EJP, Sharpe MJ, Usypchuk AA, Lozzi M, Chang CY, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G, Iordanova MD. Causal evidence supporting the proposal that dopamine transients function as temporal difference prediction errors (2020). Nature Neuroscience. doi:10.1038/s41593-019-0574-1


Sharpe MJ, Batchelor HM, Mueller LE, Chang CY, Maes EJP, Niv Y, Schoenbaum G. Dopamine transients do not act as model-free prediction errors during associative learning (2020). Nature Communications. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13953-1


Awad EW, Basmadjian M, Bassawon RH, Boyle A, Chekkal N, Grinberg N, Guevorkian A, He Z, Janeiro K, Koppalkar V, Levin Y, Lupu A, Ma-O J, Maes E, Monahan J, Negreanu K, Oxorn A, Rompotinos D, Spinali A & Vuong V. Euphorbia maculata isolate Hermitage-SSPC1 glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC1) gene, partial cds. (2016). GenBank accession KX458249.

Published Papers

  • McGill University; Montreal, QC [In Progress] M.D., C.M. (In Progress; Expected 2028) Ph.D. Neuroscience (In Progress; Expected 2026) PI: Dr. Mark P Brandon & Mihaela Iordanova Vanier Scholar: ranked 10th in Canada by CIHR

  • Concordia University; Montreal, QC [2020] BSc. Honours Behavioural Neuroscience, Minor in Multidisciplinary Studies in Science Member of the Science College Graduated with Great Distinction The Science College Prize: Medal awarded for promoting interdepartmental collaboration Top 1% of Faculty (2017)

Education

Awards, Recognition

  • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship CAD$150,000/3y [2023] Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  • Doctoral Training Fellowship CAD$84,000/4y [2022] Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS)

  • Kevric Summer Research Bursary CAD$3200 [2021] Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University

  • Hilton J McKeown Scholarship CAD$200,000/8y [2020] Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University

  • Suppléments à la bourse BPCA du CRSNG CAD$2000 [2019] Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT)

  • Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA) CAD$6000 [2019] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

Etienne JP Maes

MD PhD student

  • McGill University; Montreal, QC [In Progress] M.D., C.M. (In Progress; Expected 2028) Ph.D. Neuroscience (In Progress; Expected 2026) PI: Dr. Mark P Brandon & Mihaela Iordanova Vanier Scholar: ranked 10th in Canada by CIHR

  • Concordia University; Montreal, QC [2020] BSc. Honours Behavioural Neuroscience, Minor in Multidisciplinary Studies in Science Member of the Science College Graduated with Great Distinction The Science College Prize: Medal awarded for promoting interdepartmental collaboration Top 1% of Faculty (2017)

Education

Awards, Recognition

  • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship CAD$150,000/3y [2023] Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  • Doctoral Training Fellowship CAD$84,000/4y [2022] Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS)

  • Kevric Summer Research Bursary CAD$3200 [2021] Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University

  • Hilton J McKeown Scholarship CAD$200,000/8y [2020] Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University

  • Suppléments à la bourse BPCA du CRSNG CAD$2000 [2019] Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT)

  • Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA) CAD$6000 [2019] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

Usypchuk AA, Maes EJP, Lozzi M, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G, Esber G, Iordanova MD. Rewarding Value or Prediction Error: Settling the debate over the role of dopamine in reward learning. (2022) bioRxiv doi:10.1101/2022.11.06.515338


Drake SS, Charabati M, Simas T, Xu YT, Maes EJP, Shi S, Antel J, Prat A, Morquette B, Fournier AE. 3-Dimensional immunostaining and automated deep-learning based analysis of nerve degeneration. (2022) International Journal of Molecular Sciences. doi:10.3390/ijms232314811


Gostolupce D, Lay BP, Maes EJP, Iordanova MD. Understanding associative learning through higher-order conditioning. (2022) Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.845616


Luigi M, Luo M, Maes EJP*. Buprenorphine Opioid Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (2021) JAMA Internal Medicine. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.0777 *corresponding author


Maes EJP, Sharpe MJ, Usypchuk AA, Lozzi M, Chang CY, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G, Iordanova MD. Causal evidence supporting the proposal that dopamine transients function as temporal difference prediction errors (2020). Nature Neuroscience. doi:10.1038/s41593-019-0574-1


Sharpe MJ, Batchelor HM, Mueller LE, Chang CY, Maes EJP, Niv Y, Schoenbaum G. Dopamine transients do not act as model-free prediction errors during associative learning (2020). Nature Communications. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13953-1


Awad EW, Basmadjian M, Bassawon RH, Boyle A, Chekkal N, Grinberg N, Guevorkian A, He Z, Janeiro K, Koppalkar V, Levin Y, Lupu A, Ma-O J, Maes E, Monahan J, Negreanu K, Oxorn A, Rompotinos D, Spinali A & Vuong V. Euphorbia maculata isolate Hermitage-SSPC1 glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC1) gene, partial cds. (2016). GenBank accession KX458249.

Published Papers

I am an MDCM & PhD student at McGill University under the supervision of Dr Mark Brandon and Mihaela Iordanova. I currently study the role of midbrain dopamine signalling as a teaching signal to drive learning and update higher-order associations beyond reward, and how input from the hippocampus mediates this process during memory retrieval, using a combination of behaviour, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and fiber photometry. I previously completed a bachelor’s degree in Behavioural Neuroscience at Concordia University, where my thesis focused on the role of dopamine in associative learning. I am interested in studying how the brain drives behaviour in order to better model what specific neural computations are altered in disease states, allowing for the development of more targeted therapeutics. I am also the Head of Publications at Sex[M]ed, an NGO and educational platform for healthcare practitioners and trainees. When not pursuing my ultimate passion (sleeping), you can find me taking care of my plants or agonizing over where to place a comma in an unexceptional piece of poetry.
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