Centre of Biosciences SAS
Topic
Reciprocal interactions between monoamines and neurotrophic factors in a healthy brain and in CNS disorders
PhD. program
Animal physiology
Year of admission
2024
Name of the supervisor
MMedSc Eliyahu Dremencov, DrSc
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
Monoamines, such as serotonin (5-HT), noradrenaline, and dopamine, are brain neurotransmitters playing a key role in cognition and emotions. Monoamines closely interact with neurotrophic factors, e.g., proteins responsible for neuroplasticity, such as the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). It is well established that monoamines induce the expression of neurotrophic factors. The reciprocal relation, e.g., modulation of the excitability of monoamine-secreting neurons by neurotrophic factors, had received lesser attention. This project will aim to test the hypothesis that neurotrophic factors reinforce their own expression via a mechanism involving excitability of monoamine neurons. Multidisciplinary methodological approach, combining electrophysiological, behavioral, and neurochemical techniques, will be employed.