Welcome

Stressful stimuli in healthy subjects trigger activation of a consistent and reproducible set of brain regions; yet, the notion that there is a single and constant stress neuromatrix is not sustainable. [more]

About 1 in 100 children suffers from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These neurodevelopmental disorders are clinically defined by impairments in social interaction and by restricted, repetitive and stereotyped behaviour. Most of the autistic behaviours become manifest in the first years of life: a time when brain circuits are being shaped by sensory experiences. [more]

Memories are encoded within sparsely distributed neuronal ensembles. Using Arc-dVenus immediate early gene reporter mice, we have been able to visually-identify and electrophysiologically characterize neuronal ensembles specifically recruited during fear learning. [more]

Efforts over the past few years to develop fMRI tools to study functional connectivity in the awake mouse will be described. [more]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe psychiatric syndrome with very high prevalence and - socioeconomic impact. Despite extensive research, its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Monoamine-based antidepressant drugs (AD) have slow onset of action and limited efficacy in MDD patients. Preclinical studies reveal that ADs trigger a series of slow adaptive mechanisms, presumably involved in the clinical response to AD. [more]

Neurotrophins are small dimeric proteins encoded by 4 genes in mouse and human. They signal either through ligand-specific tyrosine kinase receptors or the pan-neurotrophin receptor p75, a member of the tumour necrosis receptor family. As no gene closely related to neurotrophins have been identified in short-lived species typically used by geneticists, progress has been slow in elucidating neurotrophin signalling.  [more]

Stressful events throughout life increase risk of developing depression and exacerbate age-associated cognitive decline. The developmental period is particularly sensitive to stress, causing long term effects on affective and cognitive behaviour for the rest of life – a concept known as early-life programming of adult disease. [more]

tba [more]

Prof. Fornaguera research is centered on behavioral and neural effects of positive and negative early life experiences using environmental enrichment, voluntary and forced exercise, social isolation, and individual differences in maternal care, using paradigms relevant to models of affective and cognitive alterations associated with anxiety and depression. [more]

Clinical studies suggest that heightened peripheral inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. We investigated the effect of chronic social defeat stress, a mouse model of depression, on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and infiltration of peripheral immune signals. [more]

Exploring the building blocks and algorithms of complex behavior, and searching for principles underlying innate and learned traits — we bring together experts from genetics, neuroscience, psychology, economics, machine learning, and physics, to share and mix ideas and tools. We hope that the diversity of viewpoints and variety of experimental and theoretical approaches — from insects to mammals, individuals to groups, cells to psychophysics, models to algorithms, normal to pathological — will make a stimulating environment for learning and exploring, together. [more]

It has become clear that brain immunity encompasses the resident myeloid cells, the microglia, and well as circulating adaptive and innate immune cells, that are located in special compartments at the brain's borders, including the meninges and the choroid plexus. These circulating immune cells support brain repair and functional plasticity. Specifically, we found that the epithelial layer that forms the blood-CSF-barrier, the choroid plexus epithelium (CP), serves as a gate regulating leukocyte entry to the CNS; its activity is controlled by its cytokine milieu, and specifically IFN-γ. In analyzing how the activity of this interface determines the fate of the brain, we discovered by immunogenomics and immunohistochemistry that in aging and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse models, this interface is suppressed with respect to its ability to allow communication between the brain and the circulating leukocytes. [more]

tba [more]

In our laboratory, we study the molecular mechanisms that regulate, control and execute developmental neuronal remodeling in Drosophila melanogaster. Remodeling refines neural circuits by a combination of degenerative processes, such as axon and synapse pruning, as well as regenerative processes, such as regrowth to form adult specific connections. Neuronal remodeling is essential for sculpting the mature nervous systems of both vertebrates and invertebrates during development. Despite its fundamental role in neurodevelopment and proposed contribution to various neuropsychiatric disorders, the mechanisms instructing remodeling are only partially known. [more]

The brain perceives the environment through specialized sensory neuroepithelial circuits. In the tongue, for instance, taste receptor cells transduce chemical signals by synapsing with the glossopharyngeal nerve. In the gut, however, the putative sensory epithelial cell known as the enteroendocrine cell is thought to convey signals to the nerves only through endocrine mechanisms-hence its name. [more]

Joshua Gordon will provide an overview of challenges and opportunities in mental health research. [more]