Description
A common factor of most antidepressant substances is the enhancement of BDNF synthesis and synaptic plasticity, suggested to be instrumental for the antidepressant effect. Psychedelic drugs seem to be particularly potent in enhancing synaptic plasticity, and the effect appears to be long-lasting. In this project we will select a diverse set of psychedelic substances and compare their efficacy on synaptic plasticity at different timepoints, to gain a comprehensive understanding of divergent/convergent effects of various psychedelics.
The main method of the project will be electrophysiological field recordings in acute hippocampal slices from mice or rats that have been treated with psychedelic substances. A range of plasticity inducing protocols will be used, as well as animal models with depressive-like behavior. Different substances will be selected and synthesized together with the co-supervisor. The project will include animal behavior in order to correlate the effect of plasticity to the antidepressant effect, in vivo recordings and measurement of other biomarkers (including BDNF) to follow the plasticity enhancing effect over time and translate our findings to the clinic.
The DC will learn to master electrophysiological recordings of synaptic transmission and plasticity and the project will develop our understanding of the neurobiological effects of different psychedelic substances.
Location
Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden)
Supervisors
Associate professor Maria Lindskog, group leader at the Department of Medical Cell biology, Uppsala University
https://www.uu.se/en/department/medical-cell-biology/research/research-groups/maria-lindskog
Dr. Ulf Bremberg, dual affiliation as Guest Researcher at Department of Medical Chemistry, Uppsala university, and CEO at Osmond Labs AB
Ulf Bremberg – Uppsala University
Secondments
Institute: Department of Medical Chemistry, Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden)
Supervisors: Dr. Ulf Bremberg, Prof. Luke Odell
Purpose: To select and prepare a diverse set of psychedelic compounds to study in animal models.
Institute: National Institute of Mental Health (Klecany/Prague, Czechia)
Supervisors: Dr. Tomáš Páleníček
Purpose: To get acquainted with psychedelic research in humans and learn to understand imaging/EEG tools and development of functional biomarkers that will help translate findings from animal models to clinic.
General eligibility criteria
- The position is open to candidates of any nationality (European and non-European) who fulfil the requirements set for the Doctoral Candidates (DCs) funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.
- Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in a relevant academic field, allowing enrolment in a PhD program at the hiring beneficiary.
- Applicants must not previously have been awarded a PhD degree.
- Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country in which the DC project for which they are applying is based for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to recruitment. This excludes short stays such as holidays, compulsory national service or time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
- Applicants must be willing to undertake secondments at another institute of the network during the DC project, including at institutes in other countries.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English at a level that is sufficiently high to fully benefit from the network training (C1/C2 level).
- Applicants are expected to be motivated to work in the field of psychedelic therapy.
- Applicants are expected to work independently, well-structured and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary consortium.
Additional eligibility criteria
- A Master’s degree in neuroscience or equivalent.
- Experience in experimental neuroscience, preferably experience from electrophysiology.
- Approved certificate to work with laboratory animals.
- Interest in psychedelic therapy and mental health.
