Neural plasticity

This meeting connects neural plasticity across molecular, synaptic, circuit and behavioural scales. The programme examines learning and memory, stress and threat responses, brain-body interactions, medial prefrontal function and behavioural strategies for interpreting neural dynamics. Additional sessions explore hippocampal computation, orbitofrontal contributions to learning and decisions, endogenous opioids, retrosplenial cortex, and activity-dependent plasticity in sensory pathways. Morning and evening symposia leave time for informal scientific discussion. Attendance is capped below 100. R

A tenured associate professorship supports research across neuroscience, including neural plasticity, development, genetics and aging. Experimental, computational, cellular and non-model-organism approaches are welcome. The appointee develops interdisciplinary collaborations across biology and neuroscience, teaches and mentors students, and contributes university service. Application review begins 1 December 2026 and continues until filled.

…This neural plasticity is theorised to promote re-activation of this network of engram cells upon re-exposure to relevant cues, thus leading to memory retrieval. Significant evidence exists to support this theory in relation to highly aversive or rewarding experiences, however less evidence exists to support the existence of engrams for day-to-day learning experiences. Here we used TRAP2 mice to characterize expression patterns and plasticity in neurons activat

…- a system that embodies in vitro neural networks with in silico computation using a high-density multi-electrode array (MEA). We compare functional connectivity across resting-state sessions and gameplay sessions, during which the cells control a paddle able to hit a ball. The location of the paddle and ball are temporally and spatially encoded and presented to the neurons via electrical stimulation. We observe significant d

The interplay between spontaneous and sensory-driven activity plays a critical role in regulating neuronal structure and function of neuronal circuits during development. Here, we investigated how deprivation of visual inputs (dark rearing) during the early stage of development affects sensori-motor integration at the behavior and neuronal circuit level. Due to the intrinsic characteristic of the mammalian brain, it has not been possible to analyze simultaneously the impact of neuronal activity in shaping circuits across neuronal populations in distinct brain areas. To overcome this limitation

Torpor is a controlled and reversible state characterized by lowered metabolic rate and body temperature. In ground squirrels, torpor induces dendritic spine retraction and re-localization of synaptic proteins, which restore upon arousal (von der Ohe et al., 2007). The emergence from torpor is followed by increased sleep slow-wave activity (SWA), a well-established marker of sleep pressure. Our study aims to elucidate the structural and molecular effects of torpor and subsequent sleep in Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), a species exhibiting daily torpor in response to a shortened photo

Our previous studies have suggested that acupuncture modulates the mesolimbic dopamine(DA) system, a region implicated in drug abuse. Therefore, in this study, we hypothesized that the stimulation of acupuncture activates mesolimbic GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area(VTA), thereby affecting the inhibition of addictive behavior. Cocaine injections and LI5 acupuncture stimulation significantly increased locomotor activity, but HT7 acupuncture inhibited cocaine-induced locomotion. In vivo fiber photometry showed that HT7 stimulation significantly activated VTA GABA neurons compared to con

…with a brain process called neural plasticity which acts through the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and its receptor TrkB. Moreover, Somatostatin (SST) expressing interneurons are involved in neuronal plasticity and are important in modulating cocaine-seeking behaviour in mice.We are testing the role of TrkB in Somatostatin(SST)-expressing neurons in the formation

…Despite the known importance of neural plasticity in cellular processing, we only have a limited understanding of how this is achieved in vivo. Here, we performed whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex in vivo to investigate whether sensory information is dynamically encoded in cortical neurons. First, the plasticity of sensory encoding was tested by repetitive tactile stimulation delivered to the forepaw. Here, sensory encoding wa

…Both the neural activity in the ventral habenula (vHb) and raphe incr

…by defining a causal mapping between neural activity and movement. Examples include studying the acquisition of an arbitrary sensorimotor mapping or perturbing a learned mapping to study adaptation. Alternatively, the sensorimotor mapping (“decoder”) can be purposefully adapted in closed loop, as the subject controls the BCI, to improve performance. Beyond improving performance for applications, closed-loop decoder adaptation (CLDA) also allows the study of learning mechanisms under changing motor demands. Here,

The CNS is responsive to an ever-changing environment. Until recently, studies of neural plasticity focused almost exclusively on functional and structural changes of neuronal synapses. In recent years, myelin plasticity has emerged as a potential modulator of neural networks. Myelination of previously unmyelinated axons, and changes in the structure on already-myelinated axons, can have large effects on network function. The heterogeneity of the extent of how axons in the CNS are myelinated offers diverse scope for dynamic myelin changes to fine-tune neural circuits. The traditionally held vi