Dr Patrycja Brzdąk from the Department of Biophysics and Neurobiology at the Medical University of Wrocław will work on the causes of neurological and psychiatric disorders. 

For the project ‘Modulation of GABAergic plasticity on parvalbumin and somatostatin interneurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus’, the researcher won almost one million PLN in the Sonatina 7 competition organised by the National Science Centre.

Synaptic plasticity is an activity-dependent property of the nervous system that allows neurons to communicate and change connections formed during the acquisition of new experiences. 

The remodelling of synaptic connections and the change in their strength gives rise to lasting memories, which form the biological basis of mental function. Disruption of plasticity can in turn lead to neurological disorders, depression, schizophrenia or addiction.

Read more: https://www.umw.edu.pl/pl/aktualnosci/wyniki-konkursu-sonatina