Staff Profiles

Senior Lecturer in Affective Neuroscience and Animal Welfare

I am a Senior Lecturer in Affective Neuroscience and Animal Welfare.

My research aims at understanding brain mechanisms underlying affective experiences in human and non-human animals, using neuroimaging and behavioural approaches. I want to use this knowledge to help designing new strategies to improve animal welfare and human mental health .

In the past, I also worked extensively on the neural bases of auditory processing using neuroimaging techniques.

Google scholar: Click here

SCOPUS: Click here.

Program lead for the MRes strand in Animal Welfare

MMB8054: Theoretical aspects of Animal Welfare (Module Leader)

MMB805: Practical aspects of Animal Welfare (Module Leader)

PSY2008: Psychological Enquiry 2: Principles of Psychology (Lecturer)

Postgraduate Development Programme: Lecturer

+ supervision of under-graduate and post-graduate students.

• Articles

  • Moat GJ, Gaudet-Trafit M, Paul J, Bacardit J, Ben Hamed S, Poirier C. The MacqD deep-learning-based model for automatic detection of socially housed laboratory macaques. Scientific Reports 2025, 15, 11883.
  • Wang Y, Leiberg K, Kindred N, Madan CR, Poirier C, Petkov CI, Taylor PN, Mota B. Neuro-evolutionary evidence for a universal fractal primate brain shape. eLife 2024, 12, RP92080.
  • Basso MA, Frey S, Guerriero KA, Jarraya B, Kastner S, Koyano KW, Leopold DA, Murphy K, Poirier C, Pope W, Silva AC, Tansey G, Uhrig L. Using non-invasive neuroimaging to enhance the care, well-being and experimental outcomes of laboratory non-human primates (monkeys). NeuroImage 2021, 228, 117667.
  • Prescott MJ, Poirier C. The role of MRI in applying the 3Rs to non-human primate neuroscience. NeuroImage 2021, 225, 117521.
  • Song X, Garcia-Saldivar P, Kindred N, Wang Y, Merchant H, Meguerditchian A, Yang Y, Stein EA, Bradberry CW, Ben Hamed S, Jedema HP, Poirier C. Strengths and challenges of longitudinal non-human primate neuroimaging. NeuroImage 2021, 236, 118009.
  • Mitchell AS, Hartig R, Basso MA, Jarrett W, Kastner S, Poirier C. International primate neuroscience research regulation, public engagement and transparency opportunities. NeuroImage 2021, 229, 117700.
  • Poirier C, Hamed SB, Garcia-Saldivar P, Kwok SC, Meguerditchian A, Merchant H, Rogers J, Wells S, Fox AS. Beyond MRI: on the scientific value of combining non-human primate neuroimaging with metadata. NeuroImage 2021, 228, 117679.
  • Poirier C, Bateson M, Gualtieri F, Armstrong EA, Laws GC, Boswell T, Smulders TV. Validation of hippocampal biomarkers of cumulative affective experience. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2019, 101, 113-121.
  • Poirier C, Oliver CJ, Castellano Bueno J, Flecknell P, Bateson M. Pacing behaviour in laboratory macaques is an unreliable indicator of acute stress. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 7476.
  • Bateson M, Poirier C. Can biomarkers of biological age be used to assess cumulative lifetime experience?. Animal Welfare 2019, 28(1), 41-56.
  • Milham MP, Ai L, Koo B, Xu T, Amiez C, Balezeau F, Baxter MG, Blezer ELA, Brochier T, Chen A, Croxson PL, Damatac CG, Dehaene S, Everling S, Fair DA, Fleysher L, Freiwald W, Froudist-Walsh S, Griffiths TD, Guedj C, Hadj-Bouziane F, Ben Hamed S, Harel N, Hiba B, Jarraya B, Jung B, Kastner S, Klink PC, Kwok SC, Laland KN, Leopold DA, Lindenfors P, Mars RB, Menon RS, Messinger A, Meunier M, Mok K, Morrison JH, Nacef J, Nagy J, Ortiz-Rios M, Petkov CI, Pinsk M, Poirier C, Procyk E, Rajimehr R, Reader S, Roelfsema P, Rudko DA, Rushworth MFS, Russ BE, Sallet J, Schmid MC, Schwiedrzik CM, Seidlitz J, Sein J, Shmuel A, Sullivan EL, Ungerleider L, Thiele A, Todorov OS, Tsao D, Wang Z, Wilson CRE, Yacoub E, Ye FQ, Zarco W, Zhou Y, Margulies DS, Schroeder CES. An Open Resource for Non-human Primate Imaging. Neuron 2018, 100(1), 61-74.
  • Poirier C, Bateson M. Pacing stereotypies in laboratory rhesus macaques: Implications for animal welfare and the validity of neuroscientific findings. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2017, 83, 508-515.
  • Poirier C, Baumann S, Dheerendra P, Joly O, Hunter D, Balezeau F, Sun L, Rees A, Petkov CI, Thiele A, Griffiths TD. Auditory motion-specific mechanisms in the primate brain. PLoS Biology 2017, 15(5), 1-24.
  • Joly O, Baumann S, Poirier C, Patterson RD, Thiele A, Griffiths TD. A perceptual pitch boundary in a non-human primate. Frontiers in Psychology 2014, 5, 998.
  • van der Kant A, Derégnaucourt S, Gahr M, VanderLinden A, Poirier C. Representation of Early Sensory Experience in the Adult Auditory Midbrain: Implications for Vocal Learning. PLoS One 2013, 8(4), e61764.
  • Van Ruijssevelt L, De Groof G, Van der Kant A, Poirier C, Van Audekerke J, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) with Auditory Stimulation in Songbirds. Journal of Visualized Experiments 2013, 76, e4369.
  • De Groof G, Poirier C, George I, Hausberger M, Van der Linden A. Functional changes between seasons in the male songbird auditory forebrain. Frontiers in Behavioral Neurosciences 2013, 7, 196.
  • Derégnaucourt S, Poirier C, VanderKant A, VanderLinden A, Gahr M. Comparisons of different methods to train a young zebra finch (Taenopygia guttata) to learn a song. Journal of Physiology - Paris 2013, 107(3), 210-218.
  • Poirier C, Boumans T, Vellema M, De Groof G, Charlier TD, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A, Balthazart J. Own Song Selectivity in the Songbird Auditory Pathway: Suppression by Norepinephrine. PLoS One 2011, 6(5), e20131.
  • Poirier C, Boumans T, Verhoye M, VanDerLinden A. Implementation of spin-echo fMRI in birds. NMR in biomedicine 2010, 23.
  • DeGroof G, Verhoye M, Poirier C, Leemans A, Eens M, Darras VM, VanderLinden A. Structural changes between seasons in the songbird auditory forebrain. Journal of Neuroscience 2009, 29(43).
  • Poirier C, Boumans T, Verhoye M, Balthazart J, VanDerLinden A. Own song recognition in the songbird auditory pathway: selectivity and lateralization. Journal of Neuroscience 2009, 29(7).
  • Collignon O, Davare M, DeVolder A, Olivier E, Poirier C, Veraart C. Time-course of posterior parietal and occipital cortex contribution to sound localization. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 2008, 20.
  • Boumans T, Gobes SM, Poirier C, Theunissen FE, Vandersmissen L, Pintjens W, Verhoye M, Bolhuis JJ, VanderLinden A. Functional MRI of Auditory Responses in the Zebra Finch Forebrain Reveals a Hierarchical Organisation Based on Signal Strength but Not Selectivity. PLoS One 2008, 3(9), e3184.
  • Poirier C, Vellema M, Verhoye M, VanMeir V, Wild JM, Balthazart J, VanDerLinden A. A three-dimensional MRI atlas of the zebra finch brain in stereotaxic coordinates. NeuroImage 2008, 41.
  • Poirier C, DeVolder A, Tranduy D, Scheiber C. Pattern recognition using a device substituting audition for vision in blindfolded sighted subjects. Neuropsychologia 2007, 45.
  • Boumans T, Theunissen F, Poirier C, VanDerLinden A. Neural representation of spectral and temporal features of song in the auditory forebrain of zebra finches as revealed by functional MRI. European Journal of Neuroscience 2007, 26.
  • Poirier C, DeVolder A, Tranduy D, Scheiber C. Neural changes in the ventral and dorsal visual streams during pattern recognition learning. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 2006, 85.
  • Poirier C, Collignon O, Scheiber C, Tranduy D, Renier L, Vanlierde A, Veraart C, DeVolder A. Auditory motion perception activates visual motion areas in early blind subjects. NeuroImage 2006, 31.
  • Poirier C, Richard MA, Tranduy D, Veraart C. Assessment of sensory substitution prosthesis potentialities in minimalist conditions of learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology 2006, 20.
  • Poirier C, Collignon O, DeVolder A, Tranduy D, Renier L, Vanlierde A, Scheiber C. Specific activation of the V5 brain area by auditory motion processing: an fMRI study. Brain Research 2005, 2.
  • Renier L, Collignon O, Poirier C, Tranduy D, Vanlierde A, Bol A, Veraart C, DeVolder A. Cross-modal activation of visual cortex during depth perception using auditory substitution of vision. NeuroImage 2005, 26.
  • Poirier C, Henry L, Mathelier M, Lumineau S, Cousillas H, Hausberger M. Direct social contacts override auditory information in the song learning process in starlings. Journal of Comparative Psychology 2004, 118.
  • Poirier C, Collignon O, Scheiber C, DeVolder A. Auditory motion processing in early blind subjects. Cognitive Processing 2004, 5.

• Book Chapter

  • Poirier C, VanderLinden A. Spin-echo BOLD fMRI on songbirds. In: In vivo NMR Imaging, Methods in Molecular Biology. 2011.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • The PRIMatE Data and Resource Exchange (PRIME-DRE) Global Collaboration Workshop and Consortium, Poirier C, Petkov C, Kikuchi Y. Toward next-generation primate neuroscience: A collaboration-based strategic plan for integrative neuroimaging. In: The PRIMatE Data and Resource Exchange (PRIME-DRE) Global Collaboration Workshop and Consortium. 2022, Virtual: Elsevier.
  • The PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) Global Collaboration Workshop and Consortium, Poirier C, Petkov C, Griffiths T, Nacef J, Balezeau F, Thiele A. Accelerating the Evolution of Nonhuman Primate Neuroimaging. In: The PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) Global Collaboration Workshop and Consortium. 2020, Virtual: Elsevier.

• Editorial

  • ASAB Ethical Committee / ABS Animal Care. Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching. Animal Behaviour 2023, 195, I-XI.

• Reviews

  • VanderLinden A, VanMeir V, Boumans T, Poirier C, Balthazart J. MRI in small plastic brains. Trends in Neurosciences 2009, 32(5).
  • Poirier C, DeVolder A, Scheiber C. What neuroimaging tells us about sensory substitution. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral reviews 2007, 31.