NeuroCure Research Fellowships for Female Postdocs in the Neurosciences

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

The spectrum of cognitive impairment in idiopathic Parkinson's syndrome (iPS) ranges from minimal cognitive deficits to severe and rapidly progressive dementia syndromes. Due to the heterogeneity in intensity and progression, prognosis of cognitive development is particularly challenging in this disorder. Although the long-term incidence of dementia in iPS patients with deep brain stimulation (THS) is comparable to that under best medical treatment, a few patients show persistent global deterioration after THS surgery. The aim of Dorothee Kübler-Weller's research project is to better understand and predict the risk of cognitive deterioration after THS in the subthalamic nucleus in iPS patients using multimodal imaging, high-resolution EEG and detailed neuropsychological phenotyping before surgery. Insights into the effects and risks of therapeutic strategies in movement disorders will help guide patients to personalized treatment of their individual symptoms with optimal and long-term effects.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

Glioblastoma is an aggressive primary brain tumor that, despite multimodal therapy, presents with a poor outcome. Notably, prognosis is especially dim in elderly patients, who present with a particularly high incidence of this dismal disease. This project’s primary goal is to reveal fundamental insights into the evident links between ageing and glioblastoma biology, the molecular basis of which, however, remains poorly understood. Via epigenomics and single-cell transcriptomics technologies, this work aims to delineate specific molecular factors arising during ageing that may prove particularly favorable for glioblastoma growth. As a clinician-scientist in neurology and neuro-oncology, the overarching goal of Ilon Liu’s research is to better understand the consequences of ageing on tumor biology and to develop tailored treatments to this rising group of elderly patients. In 2025 Ilon Liu was awarded a Max-Eder Junior Research Group.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

Rosanna Sammons's research project investigates the existence of homeostatic plasticity mechanisms in human cortical neurons. The brain is constantly bombarded with inputs from our continuously changing environment. Homeostatic plasticity has been proposed to maintain neuronal activity within healthy bounds and prevent extremes in activity, which could lead to pathological states. Moreover, this form of plasticity is thought to stabilise networks undergoing Hebbian changes during learning and memory processes. Details of these plasticity mechanisms are yet to be uncovered in human neurons. The goal of this work is to determine how individual and small groups of human neurons respond to altered network activity. We apply electrophysiology and immunofluorescence imaging to assess plasticity in acute slices prepared from cortical tissue extracted from patients undergoing surgical resections. In 2024 Rosanna Sammons received the Brenda Milner Award of the SFB 1315.

Affiliation

Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)

Research Focus

The aim of the research project "Molecular machineries shaping synaptic membrane dynamics in health and disease" is to uncover mechanisms that control neuronal membrane shaping. During our lifetime neurons undergo extensive membrane remodeling: starting from neurodevelopment, through synapse formation and, finally, during learning and memory formation. These complex events have to be orchestrated by elaborate signaling cascades, and locally specialized membrane remodeling machineries that are able to couple local intracellular scaffolds. Many neurological disorders such as intellectual disability or schizophrenia are associated with defective membrane remodeling. Agata Witkowska's research focuses on uncovering the molecular function and interactions at neuronal synapses of selected proteins relevant for human diseases and involved in membrane remodeling. The proposed project will involve functional studies in genome-engineered human stem cell-derived neurons, interactomics, as well as bottom-up approaches with purified proteins and model membrane systems.

Affiliation

Deutsches Zentrum für Neuroregenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)

Research Focus

The research group "Neurological Developmental Disorders" focuses on pontocerebellar hypoplasia, a disease of the brain associated with underdevelopment (hypoplasia) of the cerebellum and bridge. Their research looks at the four areas of the synapse (pre- and postsynapse, glial cells, extracellular matrix), with an emphasis on the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The group investigates the effects of disorders in the ECM on the development and function of synapses and neuronal circuits and how they influence the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders. Studies are performed in a genetically modified model system as well as in primary cell cultures (neurons, astrocytes). The group uses cell biological and biochemical methods and combine them with modern light microscopy. Frauke Ackermann is now a Group Leader within the DZNE Career Development Fellow Programme.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

The output of neural circuits depends on the strength and integration of the brain’s building blocks – synapses - releasing excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters. A balance of excitation and inhibition within the circuits is crucial for normal brain function. The aim of the project “Functional and molecular diversity of inhibitory and excitatory synapses” is to address whether the molecular mechanisms underlying diversity in function at the synapse level contribute to establishing the excitation/inhibition balance in neural networks. Using electrophysiology, imaging and molecular biology tools, my group will investigate physiological processes at excitatory and inhibitory synapses. By defining how - and why - excitatory and inhibitory synapses behave differently, we will uncover potential pathways to investigate excitation/inhibition imbalanced states, such as in neurological diseases.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

The primary aim of Anna Kufner´s research project entitled “Lesion-network mapping (LNM) of post-stroke symptoms” is to identify the role of stroke lesions and their effects on functional brain connectivity in the development of complex post-stroke deficits. The current project will pool MRI and clinical data of >1500 ischemic stroke patients from four large prospective stroke cohorts. As part of a newly established collaboration with the Charité NetStim Lab and Center for Stroke Berlin Neuroradiology, our research group will apply a novel methodology – LNM – to better characterize and subsequently predict a range of post-stroke symptoms including acute delirium, post-stroke depression, long-term cognitive impairment, and cardiac dysfunction. The overarching goal of this collaborative project is to better understand, predict, and ultimately treat these highly clinically relevant post-stroke neurological deficits.

Affiliation

Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)

Research Focus

Tania López-Hernández’s research project “Functional interplay between vesicular trafficking and regulation of ion homeostasis in neurological disorders” aims to better understand the role of protein transporters and ion channels in the maintenance of ionic homeostasis for proper brain function, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for massive ionic shifts during excitotoxicity, with a special focus on the distinctive responses between neurons and glial cells. She is particularly interested in unraveling the emerging functions of the endosomal Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE) and how alterations in their activity lead to the pathobiology of intellectual disability, autism and other related disorders. Cutting-edge genome engineering in human stem cell-derived neurons and –astrocytes, as well as genetic manipulations with viral vectors are combined with proteomics, siRNA screenings, live imaging, and sensor-/tracer-based functional assays to study the mechanisms of ion fluxes across intracellular membranes to improve our knowledge about the impact of ions and pH on the regulation of neuronal function and plasticity. Tania López-Hernández is now a Ramon y Cajal Researcher (Assistant Professor) at the University of Barcelona.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

Marta Orlando's research project "Synaptic plasticity in health and disease" focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. She seeks to understand how an imbalance in these processes can lead to neurological disorders. The research focus is on the extent to which the spatial organization of the presynaptic terminal promotes a long-term increase in neurotransmission. The following methods are used in a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach: high-pressure freezing and electron microscopy, live and high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, and electrophysiological and optogenetic stimulation. In 2022 Marta Orlando received the Brenda Milner Award of the SFB 1315.

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin

Research Focus

Lisa Scheunemann's research project "Context-dependent modulation of memory systems" examines the rules according to which the brain stores experiences in long-term memory. The focus is on the inhibitory mechanisms that suppress memory formation and allow it only for certain experiences. The project investigates how in particular the physiological context (e.g. diet or stress) influences the evaluation of information and thus could also regulate the selective consolidation of memories. Lisa Scheunemann is particularly interested in the extent to which neuromodulation through serotonin could create an interplay between the physiological state and memory systems. She works with the Drosophila melanogaster model system, as precise genetic tools enable a detailed analysis of molecular and cellular learning mechanisms. Primarily behavioral studies and in vivo imaging are used. Lisa Scheunemann now leads an independent Emmy Noether Group at the Freie Universität Berlin.

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Research Focus

This research project investigates the effects of childhood maltreatment (CM) at the neural circuit and behavioral level, with a focus on CM subtypes, namely sexual and emotional abuse, and their association with mental disorders. The long-term aim is to develop mechanism-informed strategies for ‘reversibility’ of CM sequelae through specialized, targeted behavioral intervention. Our project seeks to address these aims by combining basic neuroscience research from human and animal studies, using functional, structural and connectivity neuroimaging techniques, as well as psychobiological, behavioral and translational research methods.