Research Projects

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Prion, Parkinson's diseases, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Spino- cerebellar Ataxia and Fronto-temporal Dementia make up a group of pathologies with distinct etiologies and pathophysiological features characterized by the accumulation in the nervous system of abnormal proteins that are toxic for...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia. This neurodegenerative disorder is characterized by massive neuronal death and deposition of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), which is formed by processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). The mechanism of neuronal degeneration in AD are not well understood, but growing evidence...

Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative conditions characterized by an accumulation of the protein alpha-synuclein, including Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. A long asymptomatic phase precedes the onset of invalidating symptoms. Early diagnostics and treatments are hampered by an incomplete understanding of the pathophysiological...

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia affecting more than 35 million people worldwide and its prevalence is projected to nearly double every 20 years with tremendous social and economical impact on the society. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and current drugs only temporarily improve disease symptoms. Alzheimer's...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major public health problem with substantial economical and social impacts worldwide. Despite intense research, the pathological mechanisms of AD are still unclear. Under homeostasis, a delicate balance is struck between disposal of pathogenic proteins by the brain’s immune cells, microglia, and the inflammation...

'A major portion of the eukaryotic genome is occupied by DNA sequences whose transcripts do not code for proteins. This part of the genome is transcribed in a developmentally regulated manner and in response to external stimuli to produce large numbers of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). From the beginning of transcription through splicing and...

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel are neuronal and allow the temporal encoding of information as spike trains in neural circuits. It is therefore important to investigate how each Kv channel is able to do this so that we can better understand how brains work and generate plastic behaviour. In addition genetic diseases (channelopathies)...

Neuronal circuits must balance stability and plasticity. How this balance is compromised in brain disorders remains one of the most fundamental questions in neuroscience. Pioneering studies in the field established that homeostatic mechanisms stabilize the function of a system at a set-point level of activity. Recently, we have identified bona fide...

Proteins and peptides have a generic tendency to convert from their soluble states into well-organized aggregates characterized by a fibrillar morphology and an extended cross-beta structure. Such transitions can give rise to over 40 pathological conditions ranging from neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease...

This proposal aims to increase our understanding of the role of translational failure in human neurodegenerative diseases. We recently discovered the mechanism by which protein misfolding leads to neurodegeneration in prion disease. The pathway involved is a generic cellular pathway, a branch of the unfolded protein response (UPR) that controls...

The aim of this Project is to create an International and Intersectoral network to facilitate the exchange of staff to progress developments in reminding technologies for persons with dementia which can be deployed in smart environments. The focus will be on developing staff and partner skills in the areas of user centered design and behavioral...

A majority of our most common neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, age-related dementia and multiple sclerosis, are manifested by memory loss and a reduced potential for learning. Additionally, a substantial portion of our population suffers from various forms of learning difficulties. Despite all the efforts to...