UPKB researcher is partner in two ERA-NET NEURON consortia projects
Stefan Borgwardt from the Psychiatric University Hospital in Basel (UPKB) is a partner in two of the twelve projects selected for funding for the 2017 NEURON call on "Synaptic Dysfunction in Disorders of the Central Nervous System".
Twelve transnational consortia projects, from among the 43 that applied, were selected for funding after a highly competitive selection process. Stefan Borgwardt from the Psychiatric University Hospital in Basel is involved in two of the consortia projects to be funded:'Linking synaptic dysfunction to disease mechanisms in schizophrenia - a multilevel investigation' (SYNSCHIZ) and 'Understanding psychosis, cognitive impairment and motor symptoms induced by NMDA receptor dysfunction: from mechanisms to prevention and therapy'(NMDAR-PSY).
The SNSF will financially support the project SYNSCHIZ in the coming years. SYNSCHIZ will be coordinated by a research group from Norway and will involve seven investigators from six different European countries: Norway, Finland, Germany, Romania, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The aim of the project is to study synaptic dysfunction at various levels from genes to neuron cells and brain networks in order to increase our understanding of the synaptic mechanisms behind schizophrenia.
The ERA-NET Network of European Funding for Neuroscience Research (NEURON) supports basic, clinical and translational research in various fields of disease-related neuroscience and aims to better understand brain diseases and their progression to pave the way for new or improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The joint transnational call launched by NEURON in 2017 is aimed at facilitating multinational, collaborative research projects that address key questions as regards the synaptic dysfunction of the central nervous system.