Research

The Central Nervous System is the most complex biological system in the known universe and understanding how it works – that is, how molecules, cells, circuits and systems interact and enable behavior, perception, learning and emotion - is the overarching goal of Neuroscience. The Neurobiology group at GELIFES comprises of three subfields that address fundamental and translational questions about healthy and diseased processes in brain and behaviour of animals and humans: I. Behavioural Neuroscience; II. Chronobiology; III. Molecular Neurobiology.

Research fields of the Neurobiology group include:

Behavioural Neuroscience

• Neurobiology of the social gradient in health and disease
• Neurobiology and psychopharmacology of sexual behaviour with particular emphasis on brain 5-HT system
• Brain 5-HT receptors as therapeutic target for curbing psychopathology
• Precision medicine in neuropsychiatry
• Linking neuropsychiatry to quantitative biology
• Digital phenotyping to obtain real-world measures of human behaviour
• The neurobiology of social functioning
• The neurobiology of sensory information processing
• Neurodevelopmental outcomes due to early life perturbations
• Developmental role of serotonin in developing psychopathology
• Neurobiology of body weight regulation, food intake and behavioral energetics
• Etiology of energy balance derangements and metabolic disorders
• Life course nutrition and metabolism
• Personalized medicine

Chronobiology

• Regulation and function of sleep
• Role of sleep in neuronal plasticity and memory processes
• Neurobiological consequences of disrupted and restricted sleep
• Sleep disturbance, stress and depression
• Rhythmic regulation of physiology and behavior
• Circadian rhythms

Molecular Neurobiology

• Molecular mechanisms of adaptation, aging and neuroinflammation
• Neurodegenerative diseases and neuroprotective signaling
• Neuronal connectivity and cognitive processes
• Hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory storage
• Aging and cognitive decline
• The impact of sleep deprivation on learning and memory formation
• The role of the hippocampus in learning and memory formation
• Mental retardation in orphan diseases
• Learning, memory and synaptic plasticity
• Physical activity, exercise and brain functions
• Time memory and biological clock systems
• Aging of the brain