Synapses are the major sites of information processing in the brain. Synaptic dysfunction is a central aspect of many brain disorders (“synaptopathies”) and synapses are the main target of currently prescribed drugs. Synapses integrate complex signals through temporal and spatial codes and undergo rapid structural and functional changes (synaptic plasticity) that underlie the formation of engrams in the brain. Maladaptation of such processes can lead to aberrant perception, cognitive dysfunction or neurodegeneration. The study of the molecular mechanisms of synaptic function and -plasticity are the key to understanding of how the brain works and what goes wrong in brain disease. Advanced training of a new generation of neuroscientists is crucial to make these studies a success in the coming decades. The advanced course will allow the students to integrate the basic techniques in molecular and cellular neurobiology with advanced state-of-the art molecular, imaging and functional methodologies, through direct hands-on experiments.
Course director & co-directors
- Matthijs Verhage (Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands)
- Laurent Groc (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
- Nathalie Sans (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Mario Carta (Bordeaux Neurocampus, Bordeaux)
Camin Dean (European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, Germany)
Paulo César da Silva Pinheiro (Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Portugal)
Joris de Wit (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium)
Laurent Groc (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Yann Humeau (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Thomas Kuner (Heidelberg University, Germany)
Ira Milosevic (European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, Germany)
Valentin Nägerl (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Janet Richmond (University of Illinois, USA)
Ody Sibon (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
Ruud Toonen (Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, The Netherlands)
Patrik Verstreken (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium)
Noam Ziv (Technion, Israel)
- Cellular and molecular biology of synaptic proteins
- In vitro and in vivo gene transfer
- Synaptogenesis studies in living neurons
- Synapse physiology (patch clamp)
- Live imaging techniques
- Photomanipulation in living tissue and optophysiology
- Superresolution imaging
- Morphology, electron microscopy
- Single-particle tracking methodologies
Keynote speakers
Daniel Choquet (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Yuki Goda (RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Japan)
Erik Jorgensen (The University of Utah, USA)
Hannah Monyer (University of Heidelberg, Germany)
Christophe Mulle (Bordeaux Neurocampus, France)
Maria Passafaro (CNR Neuroscience Institute, Italy)
Erwin Neher (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany)
Jakob B. Sørensen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)