Neuroscience is the study of how the nervous system develops, its structure, and what it does. How can we remember what we did yesterday or several years ago? What are the genetic links of the brain structure to psychopathology, and what is the role of sleep in cognitive development? The Scientia Fellows’ research will provide a greater understanding on these issues.
Brijesh Modi
Country of origin: India
Host: Charlotte Boccara
Group: Sleep and Cognitive Development Lab
Thematic area: Neuroscience
Project title: Maturation and Synchronization of Sleep Oscillations across Development.
My project
Sleep is essential for healthy development. Yet the last decades have witness an increase in sleep deprivation among children, giving rise to major public health concern. Despite this crucial role, very little is known about the mechanism occurring during sleep necessary for healthy cognitive maturation. I propose to combine my background in computer engineering and electrophysiology with the expertise held in the Boccara lab to launch a multidisciplinary project combining innovative recording technologies and advance computational analyses. Specifically, I will aim to uncover how sleep oscillations emerge, mature, and synchronize across developing brain regions. This will provide key insights on the role of healthy sleep in the development of cognitive functions.
This project aims to uncover fundamental sleep mechanisms necessary for cognitive development and promote translational research on sleep mediated cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Luca Bordoni
Country of origin: Italy
Hosts: Rune Enger
Group: GliaLab
Thematic area: Neuroscience
Project title: The role of astrocytic signaling in memory formation and spatial encoding
My project
How can we remember the aspect of our childhood room? During the day, hippocampal neurons called place cells activate in every space we move through. During sleep, place cells prompt the formation of new memories by replaying their daily activity in a highly synchronized pattern (Sharp-wave ripples).
Yet, a crucial question is still unanswered: while sleeping, can other cells also tune this replay? Recently, it has been demonstrated that astrocytes, star-shaped cells with supportive functions, also modulate transitions between sleep phases and synaptic communication. In this project, we will investigate how astrocytes contribute to memory formation by regulating sharp-wave ripples and hippocampal replay.
The results of this study can shed new light on the importance of sleep in forming and retaining new memories. Moreover, it can equip us with basic knowledge on how memory functions, and how it can be improved as a future target for treatment of memory disorders.
Nadine Parker
Country of origin: Canada
Host: Ole Andreassen
Group: NORMENT - Centre of Excellence
Thematic area: Neuroimaging
Project title: Genetic architecture of cortical and subcortical grey matter microstructure and shared implications for psychiatric disorders
My project
Neuroimaging research has produced a greater understanding of brain structure and how it relates to disorders. Although, the underlying biology that contributes to changes in brain structure observed in psychiatric disorders remains unclear. Genetic investigations may provide insights into the underlying biology of brain structure and mechanisms of disorders.
I will study the genetic contributions to neuroimaging measures of the microscopic units of brain structure. This will increase the understanding of genes, biological processes, and cell types that contribute to individual variations in brain structure. Additionally, I will explore the genetic overlap between brain microstructure and psychiatric disorders.
This work can provide insight into the underlying neurobiology that may be altered by psychiatric disorders. The implications of this research may inform future treatment and characterization of these disorders.
Sifang Liao
Country of origin: China
Host: Evandro Fei Fang
Group: Evandro Fei Fang Laboratory on Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing and Age-predisposed Alzheimer´s disease
Thematic area: Molecular gerontology and neuroscience
Project title: Effects of mitophagy on sleep in Drosophila models of Alzheimer's disease
My project
Sleep disorders develop both in ordinary aging people as well as in people with aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies on how sleep disorders develop and their relationships to AD may facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of AD. Disrupted sleep contributes to cognitive decline and the accumulation of the proteins Aβ and tau, two neuropathological hallmarks of AD. Mitochondria are the main organelles producing energy for the survival and proper function of neurons. The homeostasis of the mitochondrial pool is regulated by mitophagy, defined as a lysosome-based selective degradation system. Previous studies showed that compromised mitophagy contributes to AD; on the other hand, turning up mitophagy genetically or pharmacologically, e.g., via using the mitophagy stimulator NAD+, abrogates Aβ and tau pathologies and retains memory in AD models. We proposed that mitophagy induction might ameliorate circadian/sleep disturbances in AD.
This project may help us to understand the interplay between NAD+ induced mitophagy pathways and circadian/sleep in normal aging and AD, with expected data shedding light on novel interventions and therapeutics.
Solomiia Korchynska
Country of origin: Ukraine
Host: Dr. Charlotte Boccara
Group: Department of Molecular Medicine
Thematic area: Neuroscience
Project title: Impact of early pharmacologic and optogenetic sleep disturbance on cognitive development.
My project
Sleep is essential for healthy cognitive development. Yet, children are sleeping less and less, giving rise to a public health growing concern. Several studies point to increase sleep dysfunction in children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. However, due to technical limitations, we could not – until now ¬– investigate whether early sleep perturbances are an underlying factor contributing to the emergence of neurodevelopment disorders. To address this crucial question, I have designed a multidisciplinary project combining the innovative methods development in the laboratory of Dr. Charlotte Boccara and my own experience in sleep and neuromodulation research.
Finding a critical developmental period where cognitive maturation is vulnerable to sleep manipulation may give a new research direction for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Wietske van der Ent
Country of origin: The Netherlands
Host: Camila Esguerra
Group: Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM)
Thematic area: Neuroscience
Project title: Dysfunctional SLC6A1: investigating the link between genotypes and phenotypes.
My project
In a healthy brain, GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1, encoded by SLC6A1) is expressed on neuronal cell membranes, where it takes up GABA neurotransmitter and transports it back into the neuron, readying the neuron to signal again. Mutations in SLC6A1 perturb GAT-1 function, impairing its ability to clear GABA after the neuron has fired.
Most individuals carrying SLC6A1 mutations develop epilepsy and suffer from developmental/intellectual disabilities. How SLC6A1 mutations lead to these symptoms and to what extent they will respond to current medications is unclear.
We aim to develop zebrafish models for SLC6A1-linked neuropathies, and perform drugscreens to identify potential therapeutics.