ENC PhD projects cycle 1

Projects cycle 1 started

For the first cycle of this Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate program, we have selected 9 students. They started their work in the Fall of 2010. On this page you can find links to more information about the 9 projects of cycle 1.

Project 1: Transmembrane protein x in relation to early stages of Alzheimer’s disease

PhD student: Marta Del Campo Milan, Spain
Home Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator; Charlotte Teunissen,
Host Institute:Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (University of Coimbra) (University of Coimbra); Principle Investigator: Oliveira, Catarina

A biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured as an indicator of normal and pathogenic processes, or responses to a therapeutic intervention. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 2: Alterations in the neuronal connectivity of neocortical circuits are a crucial feature of cognitive defects in Fragile X Syndrome 

PhD student: Matthias Georg Haberl, Germany
Home Institute: Bordeaux Neuroscience – Université Bordeaux Segalen; Principle Investigator: Andreas Frick
Host Institute: Neuroscience Center Zürich; Principle Investigator: Kevan Martin

Defects in cortical circuits have devastating neurological and psychiatric consequences.Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited mental retardation (MR) syndrome and most well characterized cause of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), is caused by a silencing mutation of the gene Fmr1 (encoding the protein FMRP). >Go to Executive Summary

Project 3: Epigenomic imaging of Alzheimer’s disease: Novel strategies to treat Dementia

PhD student: Pooja Rao, India
Home Institute: European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen; Principle Investigator: André Fischer
Host Institute: Neuroscience Center Zürich; Principle Investigator: Isabelle Mansuy

Deregulation of neuronal processes is known to cause devastating brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which cause a huge emotional and economical burden to our societies. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 4: Adolescence: a sensitive period for cortical development

PhD student: Noemi Agneta Tesler, Romania
Home Institute: Neuroscience Center Zürich; Principle Investigator: Reto Huber
Host Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator: Eus van Sommeren

Recent studies indicate that people with sleep disturbances, like insomnia, may experience suboptimal cognitive and brain functioning. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 5: Identifying biomarkers for age-associated and neurodegenerative diseases

PhD student: Jordan McAfoose, United States of America
Home Institute: Neuroscience Center Zürich; Principle Investigator: Roger Nitsch
Host Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator: Philip Scheltens

Rapid progress towards understanding the molecular and cellular pathology of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, is revolutionizing drug discovery and clinical diagnosis/prognosis. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 6: Natural control of inflammation in preactive Multiple Sclerosis lesions

PhD student: Shailender Singh, India
Home Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator: Sandra Amor
Host Institute: European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen; Principle Investigator: Wolfgang Brück

The earliest pathological sign of damage in the CNS in multiple sclerosis (MS) are clusters of activated microglia in otherwise normal-appearing white matter. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 7: Molecular Imaging of Blood Brain Barrier Alterations with new peptide ligands

PhD student: Jeinny Karina Vargas Sanchez, Colombia
Home Institute: Bordeaux Neuroscience – Université Bordeaux Segalen; Principle Investigator: Klaus Petry
Host Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator: Elga de Vries

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that leads to severe neurological deficits. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 8: Disturbed neural synchrony in an animal model of Parkinson’s Disease

PhD student: Borbála Nóra Duray, Hungary
Home Institute: Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam; Principle Investigator: Pieter Voorn
Host Institute: Bordeaux Neuroscience – Université Bordeaux Segalen; Principle Investigator: Erwan Bézard

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor disturbances as well as cognitive deficits that occur in both early and more advanced stages of the disease. A good pathophysiological model is crucial to our understanding of PD and to the development of novel therapeutical approaches. >Go to Executive Summary

Project 9: Functional innervations of monoaminergic receptors after spinal cord injury

PhD student: Isabel Vollenweider, Colombia/Switzerland
Home Institute: Neuroscience Center Zürich; Principle Investigator: Grégoire Courtine
Host Institute: Bordeaux Neuroscience – Université Bordeaux Segalen; Principle Investigator: Erwan Bézard

Descending monoaminergic inputs powerfully influence the spinal circuits that coordinate stepping in mammals. However, the anatomical and functional relationships between monoaminergic receptors and locomotor control remain poorly understood. >Go to Executive Summary