Molecular Tuning of neuronal communication
Doctoral Research Training Group NeuroTune funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG GRK 3102)
Information processing by the nervous system is based on communication between neurons and their partner cells. While different neuronal communication pathways vary significantly in signaling distance and speed, they also share a common feature: they are adjustable. This important property enables signal transfer to be tuned in an activity-dependent manner and in response to changing physiological demands.
NeuroTune is an interdisciplinary Research Training Group (RTG), which explores molecular mechanisms that modify the way information is transmitted and received by neurons. The first five-year funding period is based on 40 doctoral research projects in Life Sciences and Medicine at Leipzig University.
The Research Programme
The nervous system’s ability to dynamically adjust neuronal communication plays a fundamental role in development, higher cognitive functions, and prominent neuropsychiatric disorders. By investigating different communication pathways, the collaborative goal of NeuroTune is to identify general structural and functional plasticity principles and to uncover molecular adaptations specific to species, cell types, and signaling modes. The Research Programme will combine work on different forms of neuronal communication in both mouse and fly peripheral and central nervous systems. In addition to overlapping biological research topics, the shared use of state-of-the-art technologies will provide a lively interaction platform for the RTG members and a driving force for innovation.
Our goals:
• Uncovering molecular mechanisms: How are communication pathways adjusted in real-time and how does this tuning affect behaviour?
• Understanding plasticity principles: What drives changes in neuronal signaling in response to altered activity, environmental demands, and in pathological states?
• Specific adaptations: What unique molecular adaptations exist across species, neuron types, and signaling modes?
The NeuroTune team: experts in neuroscience
Our core team is made up of ten principle investigators with complementary expertise in cellular signaling and neuroscience. Together, we will supervise the doctoral researchers in five interconnected tandem projects. As part of the dynamic neuroscience environment in Leipzig, the doctoral researchers will benefit particularly from the interdisciplinary collaborations of the NeuroTune members, who represent the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Medical Faculty.
The Qualification Programme
The doctoral researchers will receive innovative mentoring and highest quality training in neuroscience theory and practice. This delivers an ideal preparation for the international job market and successful careers in medicine and science.
A unique platform for doctoral research:
• Supervision: Benefit from an innovative mentoring system with individually tailored Personal Development and Data Management Plans to promote successful project completion.
• Interdisciplinary training: Profit from the complementary expertise of our team in basic and translational neuroscience.
• International scientific exchange: Participate in international collaborations and carry out extended research visits to partner labs abroad.
What makes NeuroTune different?
• State-of-the-art technologies: Access to cutting edge techniques including super-resolution microscopy, 3D electron microscopy, connectomics, optogenetics, advanced electrophysiology, genome editing, and sophisticated behavioural readouts.
• Location: Founded in 1409, Leipzig University is one of the world’s oldest universities. Famous alumni and scholars include Leibniz, Goethe, Wagner, Heisenberg, and Merkel. Today, “Brain Dynamics” is one of the university’s main biomedical research areas. The “Boomtown” Leipzig has a very lively student culture, a vibrant arts scene, and a cosmopolitan atmosphere despite an affordable cost of living.
• Collaborative & interdisciplinary: NeuroTune is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Medical Faculty at Leipzig University. This collaborative spirit, woven into the fabric of the programme, distinguishes the RTG from traditional pathways to a doctoral degree in medicine or life sciences and provides doctoral researchers from both faculties with an understanding of how basic research and translational research are tightly interconnected.
Join the team
Are you eager to contribute to our understanding of how neurons communicate and how the brain processes information? Do you want to unlock the molecular secrets of how we adapt and learn? Applications for doctoral research positions open in 2025. Watch this space…