Research Projects

Current theories of declarative memory suggest that it is supported by two complementary memory systems: the medial temporal lobe (MTL) which specializes in rapid acquisition of novel associations and the neocortex, which slowly learns through environmental regularities. Gilboa et al. recently reported an extraordinary phenomenon of rapid...

'Our memories define who we are and allow us to live independently. Conscious memory is commonly split into two components; “episodic memory” for events that are specific in time and place, and “semantic memory” for our conceptual knowledge about the world. The acquisition of both episodic and semantic memories depends upon the hippocampal...

Dementia causes long and oppressive suffering to patients and their relatives and imposes enormous costs on society. About 25 million people suffered from dementia in 2000. As a 4-fold increase of this number is expected by 2050, dementia is one main health issue of the next decades. Alzheimer's disease (AD) covers 60-70% of all dementia cases. No...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting millions of people worldwide and therefore it is fundamental to understand its underlying mechanisms. Although the neuropathologies involved in AD are well-described, the effect of those pathologies on neuronal function are poorly understood. Using a transgenic mouse...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are the neurological disorders which will affect a significantly growing number of people in the context of the aging of the EU's population and worldwide. NDs thus constitute a priority for action. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and ND, and a major social and health problem...

The EU population is increasingly exposed to new physical and chemical agents in the environment, some of which may be detrimental to public health. Of these, electromagnetic fields (EMF) are one of the most ubiquitous, with new EMF technologies and novel applications being actively developed and commercialised. To address pertinent questions on...

In Europe, there is an increasing number of people with neurological problems, such as probable Alzheimer’s disease (pAD) or aphasia, which often result in severe language and memory impairments. It has been argued that memory deficits contribute to the language problems brain-damaged populations face and, further, can predict these populations’...

Neuronal circuits in mammalian brain act predominantly via excitatory synapses on dendritic spines. Formation of new spines in adult brain constitutes the structural basis of neuronal plasticity. The underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown but depend essentially on kinase-dependent signalling pathways. Final formation of synapses on...

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, smoking and physical inactivity are common in elderly persons and are all associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and dementia. Efficacious treatments of these cardiovascular diseases are available, but in elderly patients with multiple cardiovascular...

The advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology has brought us closer to understanding brain function in health and disease. With 7 Teslas high field MRI machines, pioneers of imaging physics have made possible in-vivo examination of the human brain at sub-millimetre scale. New imaging contrasts additionally offer rich information...

The frequency of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will dramatically increase in the ageing western society during the next decades. Currently, about 18 million people suffer worldwide from AD. Since no cure is available, this devastating disorder represents one of the most challenging socio-economical problems of our future. As onset and progression of AD...

The objectives of the project are to identify and evaluate potassium channels of the KCa3.1/KCa2.X type as novel drug targets for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular ischemia and neuroprotection in metabolic disease and neurodegenerative disorders associated with vascular pathologies, as a new pathophysiological concept and treatment...