Thalamolimbic circuit plasticity mediating chronic pain, anxiety and depression

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Beschreibung der Arbeit

We apply a plethora of state-of-the-art methods to study the neural mechanisms how chronic pain and its affective comorbidities develop, in particular after early-life stress - a key risk factor for mental health. # Mouse models of early-life stress and chronic pain; # naturalistic behavioral assays, pain tests, classic/operant conditioning, fear tests # In-vivo calcium recordings (Dual-color fiber photometry, miniscopic recordings) # In-vivo transmitter sensing #In vivo and in vitro multicolor optogenetics #Multiplexed chemogenetics #Patch-clamp electrophysiology # Stereotaxic surgeries with viral injections and implantation of optical probes.

Our work aims to 1. understand sex-specific neuroplasticity driving or inhibiting chronic pain and its affective symptoms. In our previous work, we found layer-specific pain relief projections from motor cortex (Gan et al, Science) and a sex-specific thalamic neuroplasticity driving pain and anxiety in female mice (work in revision at Science). We were also the second lab worldwide to show that fear can be treated in mice using an intervention that closely mimicks a reknown traumatherapy in PTSD patients (Jauch et al, eNeuro). This psychotherapy-like animal model allows us to study mechanisms of EMDR in depth and to aim for optimization of the intervention towards pain and depression rescue.

Rahmenbedingungen

You’ll receive structured methodological training, join weekly seminars, and be part of SFB1158’s vibrant research and young scientist community including summer schools.

Programming skills and animal handling (Tierkurs) can be learned on-site.

We support our MD students with a research assistant contract (HIWI)

First authorship in top journals envisioned.

More information: www.sfb1158.de; project B04. We are looking forward to you joining our team!