Cerebellum & Emotional Networks
The neuroscientists Richard Apps from the University of Bristol, Philip Tovote from the University Hospital Würzburg and Dagmar Timmann from the University Hospital Essen have jointly successfully acquired a Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Innovative Training Network funded by the European Research Council. The training network investigates a hitherto little known task of an important part of the brain, the cerebellum, namely its involvement in the control of emotions.
The cerebellum (Latin: cerebellum) is a part of the central nervous system which, despite its name, contains more nerve cells than all other brain regions put together. It developed very early in the course of evolution and takes on important control functions in humans and animals, such as controlling fine motor movements. Damage to the cerebellum leads to serious clinical symptoms in humans, which in addition to movement disorders can also include cognitive and emotional impairments. In contrast to the already widely researched function of the cerebellum in controlling movement, its role in regulating emotions is still largely not understood.
The newly established consortium funded by the EU with 4.1 million euros, called CEN (for cerebellum & emotional networks), brings together researchers from five countries and over the next four years will address the contribution of the cerebellum to the control of emotions, in particular of fear and anxiety. One focus will be on the mechanistic elucidation of the interplay between the cerebellum and other parts of the brain, i.e. the network connections and the associated brain activity.
For this purpose, two or three doctoral students will work on specific aspects of the scientific question at each location. About half of the projects deal with fundamental studies on rodent models, which enable a detailed description of the network processes on the level of individual and selected groups of neurons. The other half of the projects look at cerebellar functions in humans, in healthy volunteers and in patients with diseases of the cerebellum on the one hand and emotional problems such as anxiety disorders on the other. In order to enable the translation of results from both research fields, they are then compared and linked with one another in a variety of ways, and in particular analyzed using mathematical models.
In addition to generating excellent research results, the focus of CEN is on training a new generation of scientists with expert knowledge in both basic and clinical research. This will be achieved within CEN through intensive exchange via digital media and virtual research environments, as well as in joint conferences and laboratory internships. In addition, the doctoral students will come into contact with private companies, NGOs, rehabilitation clinics and national and international patient self-help groups and can thus gain a comprehensive insight into non-academic job profiles.
The aim of CEN is to better understand the previously underestimated role of the cerebellum in the regulation of emotions and to implement the knowledge gained in patient-oriented applications. At the same time, the interdisciplinary and international training and research structure creates excellent academic and non-academic career opportunities for young scientists. See our job advert.
Participating institutions:
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
University Hospital Würzburg
University Hospital Essen
École Normale Supérieure Paris, France
Università Pavia, Italy
Universitet Uppsala, Sweden
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