NCCR-Synapsy

The Synaptic Bases of Mental Diseases

Drugs of abuse: Identifying the addiction circuit

mouse brain

Section of a mouse brain showing in red the circuit that reinforces the behaviour, in green the circuit that reinforces the decision to continue. If the green projection is very active, the mice self-stimulate their red projection despite negative consequences. Read more…


Dopamine, a key component of heroin addiction

Lüscher_nov2018.jpeg

Photo illustrating dopaminergic neurons (in red). In green, are dopaminergic neurons that have been activated by heroin. In blue, a marking of the nuclei of the cells. © UNIGE Addiction refers to the repeated and irrepressible desire to do or Read more…


2016 Koetser Award to Christian Lüscher

Christian Lüscher Koetser prize 2016

The Betty and David Koetser Foundation for research on the brain rewards this year Christian Lüscher, Professor at the Department of fundamental neurosciences of the Faculty of Medicine at UNIGE (his group web page). Professor Lüscher, a specialist of neural Read more…


Pfizer Award 2016 to Meaghan Creed & Vincent Pascoli

Meghan Creed Pfizer award

Pfizer Award System : Neuroscience and nervous system illnesses. To treat addiction by electric shocks Deep brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes into the brains of patients and outputting electric shocks via a pacemaker, implanted too. This treatment is mostly used Read more…