A neuroscience PhD studentship is available. It is part of a larger effort to understand how structural plasticity and turnover of synapses and remodelling of nearby astrocytes are coordinated and what their role for synapse and circuit function and behaviour is.

The specific aim is to reveal the relationship between synaptic structural plasticity and turnover and the remodelling of perisynaptic astrocytic processes in vivo, and to identify the relevant signalling cascades and the consequences of their disruption. The project relies on an extensive experimental toolset for monitoring synaptic and astrocytic structure and its dynamic changes using multiphoton fluorescence microscopy and for manipulating astrocyte morphology.

Please see job advertisement for further details and how to apply. The application deadline is the 31st of March.

The project is building on two recent papers from our lab:

• Herde K, Bohmbach K, Domingos C, Vana N, Komorowska-Müller JA, Passlick S,  Schwarz I, Jackson CJ, Dietrich D, Schwarz MK, Henneberger C (2020) Local efficacy of glutamate uptake decreases with synapse size. Cell Rep. 32(12):108182 (link, open access)
• Henneberger C, Bard L, Panatier A, Reynolds J, Kopach O, Medvedev NI, Minge D, Herde MK, Anders S, Kraev I, Heller JP, Rama S, Zheng K, Jensen TP, Sanchez-Romero I, Jackson C, Janovjak H, Ottersen OP, Nagelhus EA, Oliet SHR, Stewart MG, Nägerl UV, Rusakov DA (2020) LTP induction boosts glutamate spillover by driving withdrawal of perisynaptic astroglia. Neuron (in press) (link, open access)