Name:
Sofia Kanatsou
Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology
Function: PhD student
E-mail:
s.kanatsou@uva.nl,
s.kanatsou@umcutrecht.nl
Supervisor:
M. Jöels
Title research:
Mineralocorticoid receptors as genetic resilience factor under adverse life conditions
Summary research:
Stress is an environmental factor which is a critical risk factor for the development of brain diseases and psychopathology such as depression. To what extend each person is susceptible for the influences of stress depends also to a large extent on their genetic background. In this project we test the hypothesis that variable amounts of one of the known receptors of corticosteroids determine the effects on the brain of 1) repeated stress that occurs during adulthood life, 2) stress that occurs during a critical period in early life, or 3) a combination of stress during these periods. Using established genetic mouse models, the effects of stress on brain development as well as structure and function in time will be examined on a cellular level, while separate cohorts of animals will be tested for behavioral performance.
Five publications:
Oomen C, Soeters H, Audureau N, Vermunt L, van Hasselt F, Manders E, Joëls M, Lucassen P, Krugers H. (2010) Severe early life stress improves hippocampal synaptic plasticity and emotional learning under high-stress conditions in adulthood. J. Neurosci. 30, 6635-6645.
Joëls M, Baram TZ. (2009) The neuro-symphony of stress. Nature Rev Neurosci. 10:459-66.
Champagne DL, Bagot RC, van Hasselt F, Ramakers G, Meaney MJ, de Kloet ER, Joëls M, Krugers H. (2008) Maternal care and hippocampal plasticity: evidence for experience-dependent structural plasticity, altered synaptic functioning, and differential responsiveness to glucocorticoids and stress. J Neurosci. 28: 6037-45.
Joëls M, Karst H, DeRijk R, de Kloet ER. (2008) The coming out of the brain mineralocorticoid receptor. Trends Neurosci. 31:1-7.