NCCR-Synapsy

The Synaptic Bases of Mental Diseases

Connecting stress, weight, and social anxiety in early adolescence

Scientists at EPFL have found a biological connection explaining why there is an increased predisposition to develop obesity and being less sociable in individuals that have experienced stress during early puberty.   Between the end of childhood and the beginning Read more…


Optimus Agora Prize for Carmen Sandi and Dominique de Quervain

Dominique de Quervain and Carmen Sandi are being awarded Optimus Agora Prize. Their project “Stress” encourages interaction with the public. Stress is part of everyday life. Better understanding it, and knowing how to prevent situations that cause it, improves our Read more…


Anxiety: Brain Mitochondria as a Treatment Target

Carmen Sandi, professor at EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute and co-director of the NCCR-Synapsy, published a review on the connection between anxiety and brain mitochondriain the Journal Trends in Neurosciences with her colleague Michaela Filiou from the Max Planck Institute.They highlight Read more…


Identification of a behavioral and neural signature of trait anxiety related to differences in effortful motivated behavior

The combined expertise of Carmen Sandi and Christoph Michel’s labs allowed to better understand the neurological basis of trait anxiety, a risk factor for the development of neuropsychiatric diseases. Trait anxiety is a personality dimension related to the extent to Read more…


A Swiss network brings stress researchers together

stress-network

In an effort to promote stress research in Switzerland, Professors Carmen Sandi (EPFL Brain Mind Institute) and Dominique de Quervain (University of Basel) have founded stressnetwork.ch, a network of over 30 renowned scientists from Swiss universities working in different areas Read more…


Carmen Sandi wins the first Ron de Kloet award

carmen sandi-dekloet award

Professor Carmen Sandi at EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute, has won the first Ron de Kloet award from the STRESS-NL consortium. The STRESS-NL is a consortium of different institutions that “envisions that combining forces between researchers across the Netherlands ranging from Read more…


Researchers find dominant men can make decisions faster

boss shouting

Men who exhibit high social dominance make faster decisions than low-dominance men even outside a social context, finds a large behavioral study from EPFL. Hierarchies exist across all human and animal societies, organized by what behavioral scientists refer to as Read more…


Targeting a brain mechanism could treat aggression and violent behavior

brain targetting

EPFL neuroscientists have identified a brain mechanism that is linked to aggression and violent behavior, potentially forming the basis for treating aggression in several psychiatric disorders. Violence, which, needless to say, are destructive to both individuals and societies worldwide: death, Read more…


Carmen Sandi appointed President of FENS

sandi president

The Federation of European Neuroscience Societies has appointed EPFL Professor Carmen Sandi as its President. FENS has appointed EPFL Professor Carmen Sandi as its new President. Professor Sandi directs the Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics at EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute. Her Read more…