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December 2016 — Volume 09, Issue 04

www.medical-neurosciences.de 22 Editorial CNSNewsletter December 2016

3 FOCUS 3 Near-death Experiences First Breath, Final Bow 4 How Do You Know You Are Really Dead? As biomedical researchers, most of our work has the ulti- 5 In this world, nothing can be said to be certain... mate goal of promoting and enhancing health and longevity. 5 The Genetic Life after Life But look beyond our own field and it’s astounding how much of what we all (and we mean everyone) do revolves, almost 6 Little Einsteins-In-The-Making: Brain Development in Newborns obsessively, around two fixed moments: birth and death. 7 Load Me up, Scotty! – Will We Live Forever In Silico? Day-to-day, though, we rarely pause to think of what these

8 Memento Mori*: How Our Mind Handles the Inevitable End actually mean – to us and to society as a whole. We might ponder it occasionally, but in this issue, our team decided to 9 Ten Fingers, Ten Toes, One Heart… and Then What? dive right into this complex and controversial topic. 10 Neuronal Fate: A Story of How Neurons Grow up As a species, we’re never fully content with what we have. In our quest for improvement, we not only push the limits 10 Beyond the Grave: Finding True Immortality of our lifespans, but also what we’re capable of doing while 11 Cotard Syndrome – When People Think They are… Dead! we’re alive. In the not-so-distant future, in fact, many of us may have abilities that can now only be described as super- 12 How Different Cultures View Early Life and Death human (see page 13). The result? The line between life and 13 The “Right To Die With Dignity” death becomes more blurred than ever (see page 7). But it’s not just our eagerness to live better and longer 13 Total Recall 2.0 that is striking. As you’ll read in this issue, we have a preoc- 14 Brain-gnacy: How Giving Birth Changes Your Brain cupation for controlling death that, in some cases, can be unnerving (see page 14). A tad ironic considering we can’t 15 Heads or Tails: The Surgical Gamble of Transplanting a Human Brain even seem to agree on the exact moment that life ends (see 16 Zombies! pages 4 and 5). All the uncertainty isn’t helped by the fact

17 Conference Report: World Health Summit that some diseases are so bizarre that they make us ques- tion the very meaning of what it is to be alive (page 9), or 17 Responding to the Devil’s chaplain indeed, dead (page 11). 18 MedNeuros on the Loose: PhD Retreat 2016 Surprise, surprise: (neuro)scientists are drawn to ambi- guity. With 19 unique authors contributing articles, the en- 19 What Do We Get From Obtaining a PhD? thusiasm for this issue has surpassed even our extremely 20 PI's are people, just like me! popular Sports issue (June 2016). More than ever, this is a feat we can all be proud of, especially considering how busy 20 Thoughts About Digital Networking we’ve all been – see pages 17 to 20 for a peek at all the con- ferences and meetings recently organized and attended by MedNeuro students. 21 Brain in Press & Open Positions Finally, we’re inaugurating a new section of the newslet- ter that we believe is extremely relevant to all young sci- 22 Employability Section entists. Focusing on employability, this recurring section is produced in cooperation with the Erasmus+ program Neurasmus. To read what we have in store for the first in- 26 Obituary stallment, see page 22.

Enjoy reading the final issue of the year, we'll be back again 27 Whazz Up? in 2017!

27 News in Brief

27 Imprint Ahmed Khalil and Constance Holman Editors-in-Chief Contest Like what you see? Interested in contributing? We are al- Deadline for submission for the next ways looking for new authors and submission on anything issue is January 23rd, 2017. related to the topic of neuroscience. Send us an article, some beautiful shots from your microscope, poems, short This issue’s joint winners are Eileen stories, critiques, reviews – anything! The best contribu- Schormann and Bettina Schmerl, tion will be rewarded with the book So You Want to be a who wrote wonderful pieces on the Scientist? by Philip A. Schwartzkroin. newborn brain (page 6) and the un- dead (page 16) respectively. Congratu- Come on and write like there’s no tomorrow! Send lations, and thank you very much for your contribution to [email protected] to win. your articles!

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 3

Near-death Experiences A More-or-less Neuroscientific Journey Beyond the Light Every now and then, people who have experienced life- stimulated, capable of propagating electrical signals. It is threatening situations report the sensation of a bright light believed that the reduction of inhibition in the brain due to at the end of a tunnel. This personal anoxia leads to acute hyperactivity. experience, accompanied by sensa- This is plausible when we consider tions including warmth, peace, so- that a change of a few millimoles in called out-of-body experiences and extracellular potassium levels can vivid hallucinations are grouped turn stable neural populations into under the term near-death experi- an epileptogenic mess [4]. ence (NDE). But are NDEs merely a spiritual experience or the outcome Esoterical Misunderstandings of a brain being on the edge of an Ethical and technical difficulties abyss? make it challenging to observe brain activity during medical emer- Esoterics versus Neuroscientists gencies in humans, meaning actual The transcendental explanatory physiological data acquired during model uses reports in which people NDEs is sparse. This incompleteness experience the phenomenological leaves more room for misunder- features of NDEs described above standing past findings. as proof of rather esoteric phenom- Esoterics have argued that a ena such as the existence of an af- brain near to death is too unstable terlife or God. More worryingly, al- to produce hallucinations. The logi- beit with poor evidence, they claim cal problem here is that if the brain that human consciousness is creat- is too unstable to support halluci- ed independently from the body or nations, how is it possible that it is brain processes. Because each per- stable enough to ‘remember’ mys- son integrates their near-death ex- tical experiences? For a scientist, it perience into their own pre-existing is crystal clear: If the brain is dead, lives and belief systems, it is easy then surely, so is memory. For eso- for esoterics to pick those religious terics, I wonder whether this is the stories in order to underline their point where their theory of mind- arguments. brain-dualism steps in. So, does this In contrast, the opposition mean that if memory is intact while searches for physiological and psy- Light at the end of the tunnel, the brain is dead, then memory is chological explanations. For neuro- Sandro Kharazashvili, Flickr, http://bit.ly/2eslf8U not formed by brain activity? scientists, the fact that many com- And coming back to the sup- ponents of the NDE are very similar posed afterlife: If an afterlife existed to experiences associated with pathology, neurological con- for everybody, how come only a fraction of cardiac arrest ditions and direct forms of brain stimulation is a strong in- patients had the chance to catch a glimpse? I will let you dication that such experiences have an underlying neural think about this. basis. There is no component of the NDE that is unique to being ‘near-death’. Spiritual Scientists Due to the lack of possibilities to measure the appear- To conclude, I want to put aside our scientific urge to explain ance of God, we will focus on the neuroscientific point of everything logically and dig out our well-hidden spiritual view and will also provide arguments against the mind- side. We can’t argue against one aspect of NDE: Most people brain-dualism theory. going through it experience some- thing that a near-death experiencer Let’s Talk About Science NO COMPONENT OF NDE IS UNIQUE once described as: “I remember hav- Although an NDE can be triggered TO BEING ‘NEAR-DEATH’ ing this sense of love like I’ve never by various medical situations, such experienced it before.” as coma, cerebral infarction, car- Obviously, these people encoun- diac arrest and many more, systematic studies have been ter themselves at the end of their existence, look back and restricted to cardiac arrest patients, where 1 in 5 survi- realize that they have no way of correcting their mistakes. vors reports an NDE [1]. These studies suggest that NDEs Receiving this gift of a second chance must have a notice- are merely hallucinations – the final visions produced by a able impact on their life thereafter. Thus, I suppose that massively disinhibited and dying brain. Disinhibition and working on our own karma the very first chance we get is seizure-like activity, in fact, can be triggered by many psy- worth it. chological and neurological factors, including epilepsy, drug use and trauma [2]. [1] Greyson, Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry, 2003. Moreover, a dying brain doesn’t necessarily mean that [2] Blackmore, J. R. Soc. Med., 1996. the brain becomes silent. Jimo Borjigin and colleagues com- [3] Borjigin et. al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2013. pared brain activities of rats in wakefulness, under anes- [4] Haglund and Schwartzkroin, J. Neurophysiol., 1990. thesia and after cardiac arrest [3]. Interestingly, all animals showed synchronous gamma waves in the first 30 seconds Anahita Poshtiban after cardiac arrest. Their brains seemed to be awake and PhD Student, AG Plested

www.medical-neurosciences.de 4 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

How Do You Know You Are Really Dead?

The Medical Definition of Death The ability to resuscitate people who have "died" has produced some remarkable stories. For example, drowning in cold water seems to slow metabolism to the incredible extent that some people have been revived after half an hour under water [1]. Especially in the age of organ transplantation, identifying the moment of death now involves another life, meaning that death has to be precisely defined. Interestingly, at present there is no standardized diagnosis of clinical death or precise definition of human death. To err on the side of caution and to prevent you from mistaking a living person as dead, here is a helpful checklist [2]:

no pupil reaction to light a body temperature above 30 °C, which eliminates the possibility of resuscitation no response of the eyes to caloric following cold-water drowning (warm or cold) stimulation no other cause for the above, such as a head injury no jaw reflex (the jaw will react with a "jerk", like the knee, when hit with a reflex hammer) no drugs present in the body that could cause apparent death no gag reflex (normally, touching the back of the throat induces vomiting) all of the above for 12 hours

no response to pain all of the above for six hours and a flat-line electroencephalogram (EEG) no breathing no blood circulating to the brain

The Legal Definition of Death Unfortunately, in Germany there is no legal definition of death, only a transplantation law [3] which allows the removal of or- gans if “death is ascertained according to the current status of medical knowledge” (§ 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 TPG) and is not allowed if "the final irreversible cessation of overall functions of the cerebrum, cerebel- lum and brainstem cannot be confirmed according to the current status of medical knowledge”(§ 3 Abs. 2 Nr. 2 TPG). Thereby, brain death is the pre- APPARENT AND LEGAL DEATH requisite for organ-transplantation. How- ARE NOT THE SAME ever, in legal practice death is usually defined in the sense of § 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 TPG. In contrast, the U.S. has a less ambiguous definition [4]: The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA), approved in 1981, defines an individual as dead who has sustained either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brainstem. It also states that "determination of death must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards". Thus, it is also in a way a rather soft definition. Neither Germany nor the U.S. provide an estimate of when to decide that death will be “irreversible”.

Our current definitions of death may take on new meaning as medical technology advances.

[1] http://bit.ly/1Em5BHg [3] http://bit.ly/2eXE99z Claudia Willmes [2] Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. (2008) [4] http://bit.ly/2e4IYiD PhD Student, AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 5

In T his World, Nothing Can B e Said To B e Certain ...... except death and taxes. But as any- fear of being buried prematurely, and We turn to the Encyclopaedia Bri- one filling out a tax return can attest, medical science was under pressure to tannica to once again reflect the Zeit- certainty does not mean clarity. As our improve its definition of death. geist. By 1973, the fifteenth edition had understanding of life changes, so too Easier said than done. The more pre- accepted our ignorance, stating that does our understanding of death. cise medical science tried to be in its death "can only be conjectured" [2]. Prior to the Enlightenment, death definition of death, the more it continued was viewed mainly as a spiritual pro- to push those very boundaries. Although cess. In 1768, the first edition of Ency- some methods of resuscitation were clopaedia Britannica summarizes this abandoned along the way, such as blow- position with its definition: "Death is ing tobacco smoke into the anus, the ad- generally considered as the separation vent of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of the soul and body; in which sense (CPR), artificial ventilation and defibril- it stands opposed to life, which con- lation only seemed to confirm the public sists in the union thereof" [1]. At the fear that death was not as fintal as had time, a combined lack been initially thought. of breath, pulse, and Even with the defini- responsiveness was a OUR UNDERSTANDING tion of brain death in general rule of thumb in OF LIFE AND DEATH 1968, the controversy Tobacco enema resuscitation kit, early 19th century, declaring a person de- ARE INTERTWINED is unresolved (see pre- Wellcome images, http://bit.ly/2fenPjH ceased. However, faith vious article), and is in this started to fade intimately intertwined as experiments began indicating that with a deeply existential human ques- these processes could be decoupled; tion: What does it mean to be alive? At [1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1st edition. for example, Luigi Galvani’s famous its core is a problem in defining con- Vol. 2, 1768 discovery in 1780 that electricity could sciousness. How much brain activity is [2] Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition. animate a severed frog leg. Meanwhile, required for consciousness, and is an Vol. 5, 1973 a small but significant number of ac- organism without consciousness some- cidental live burials captured the pub- thing that we value? Without a defini- James Kerr, MSc lic’s attention. Starting in the late 18th tion of consciousness, we are finding it AG Sterzer century, there was a mounting public very hard to define death.

The Genetic Life After Life Thanatotranscriptome: a word you probably don't use ev- A Zombie Organism? ery day. It refers to the gene activity in an organism after The ‘dead’ organism does not come alive or have any ben- its death (Thanatos is Greek for death). But wait a minute efits regardless of the number of genes that become ac- – gene activity after death? Yes, you read that right. In a tive. So what is the use of these postmortem genes? Most recent, groundbreaking study, re- were found to be useful in emer- searchers from the University of gency situations like activating the Washington found that some genes "WE CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT LIFE immune system and counteracting remain active for up to 4 days af- BY STUDYING DEATH" – PETER NOBLE stress, but surprisingly, even some ter death in zebrafish and rodents developmental genes were acti- [1] and for up to 12 hours in humans vated after death [2]. Peter Noble, [2]! Interestingly, some genes had their activity increased or the lead author on the study [3] believes that this is due to were even activated after death. So this was not just a case similar cellular conditions in newly dead organisms and in of certain genes surviving longer than the rest of the body. embryos. These results are interesting for today’s matters on organ transplantation, where it becomes relevant to know what happens to organs after death. Several genes related to cancer became active after death, supporting findings showing the increased risk of cancer in transplant patients [4]. So when are we really dead? After reading this issue, we really need to rethink out definitions!

[1] http://bit.ly/28NRsVm [2] http://bit.ly/2eQQfn1 [3] Pozhitkov et al., bioRxiv, 2016 [4] http://bit.ly/2eQVnaO

Apoorva Rajiv Madipakkam PhD Student, AG Sterzer

www.medical-neurosciences.de 6 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

Little Einsteins-In-The-Making: Brain Development in Newborns The emergence of new life, the cre- mother's milk. In addition, the ability ceptor is expressed by microglia. As ation of a little human being, is one to discriminate between the mother's reported first by Paoliceli et al., the of the most fascinating events in this voice and that of a stranger devel- lack of this chemokine leads to few- world. Of all organs, the development ops early on. The effort to reach the er microglia and delayed synaptic of the brain is one of the first to start mother's breast right after birth also pruning [4]. and one of the last to end (although it indicates purposeful behavior. Together never really ends). The first structure, with other signs such as the sense of Sleep, Baby, Sleep… the neural tube, forms within the first pain, language, and short-term mem- When one considers the numerous weeks after conception. The first move- ory, newborns fulfil the criteria of ba- events taking place in the newborn ments of the fetus can be detected by sic consciousness and are perfectly brain – and I've only mentioned a few ultrasound after only 7 weeks and are equipped to explore the new world [1]. here – it is not surprising that sleep is probably because the first neurons and absolutely essential for flawless neuro- synapses have already developed in the Explosion of Synapses and Glial Cells nal development. All this learning and spinal cord. Although a very basic func- Interestingly, the brain of an infant at processing of environmental stimuli, tional brain is present at birth, many birth already contains almost the same with their accompanying reorganization aspects of brain development are no- number of neurons as an adult brain. of nascent neuronal circuits sounds ex- where near complete yet. Now they only have to tremely exhausting for form their various con- such a fragile organism. The Birth of Consciousness nections to form ma- A NEWBORN'S Intuitively, one would Future parents often wonder how much ture neuronal circuits. BRAIN DEPENDS ON thus think that the of the outside world their fetus expe- Therefore, an extremely OUTSIDE STIMULI phase of sleep linked riences consciously. For example, is it high number of syn- to physical rest would beneficial to play piano music or speak apses is built during the be most important for to the little one in the uterus? Although first months in a process called syn- newborns. But quite the contrary. It's fetuses can open their eyes after some aptogenesis, which requires the selec- actually active sleep, also referred to months, they are mainly asleep and can tion and elimination of synapses. This as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, hardly be woken up. Consciousness is process, known as pruning, is highly which seems crucial for postnatal brain defined as awareness of the body, the delicate and, therefore, it is not sur- development. Newborns spend about self and the outside, and is linked to the prising that early life stress can result 50% of their sleep in REM (compared condition of being awake. Consequently, in the development of behavioral dys- to 20% in adults). Indeed, it has been the process of birth initiates the devel- functions and mental disorders in shown that twitching during REM sleep opment of consciousness by waking adulthood [2]. leads to increased activity of Purkinje the fetus. When a newborn is touched In the past, it was believed that the cells in the cerebellum of rat neonates, by another person, it reacts differently selection is mainly dependent on the indicating that active sleep is important compared to when it touches itself, in- activity of neuronal connections, while for sensorimotor development [5]. dicating it has awareness of its own the help of glial cells is only required body. for removing synapses by phagocytosis. Impact on Our Future Minds Furthermore, the awareness of However, more recent evidence sup- Since the development of a newborn's smell allows the newborn to pursue the ports the important role of glial cells brain is highly dependent on environ- in all stages of mental stimuli, these bewitching crea- pruning. A step- tures should be protected from any wise removal of harmful influences – beginning already low-activity syn- at pregnancy. Everything we experi- aptic contacts ence in our first years after birth will is achieved by somehow shape our mind for the rest of a fine-tuned in- our lives. This thought is amazing and terplay between terrifying at the same time because at neurons, astro- that stage these poor little creatures cytes, microglia are dependent on how responsible the and oligoden- outside world is … drocytes that communicate [1] Langercrantz and Changeaux, Semin with each other Perinatol, 2010 by secreting [2] Bock et al., Front Neurosc, 2014 molecules [3]. [3] Terni et al., Brain Res Bull, 2016 For example, dur- [4] Paoliceli et al., Science, 2011 ing postnatal [5] Sokoloff et al., Dev Neurobiol, 2014 development, neurons express Sleeping newborn infant with an EEG net. the chemokine Fifer, William P., et al. "Newborn infants learn during sleep." Cc3cl1 (fractal- Eileen Schormann Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.22 (2010) kine) whose re- PhD Student, AG Krüger

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences 7

Load Me up, Scotty! Will We Live Forever In Silico? Our distinguishing feature as humans is our temporally and almost-constant self-aware mind, which is irrevocably lost when we die. The stream of con- movie CHAPPiE shows a way in which this could be avoided: sciousness [11]. the title character transfers the mind of his dying friend Another chal- into a robot’s computing unit. The implications of this mind lenge is that a uploading challenge our ethics, but how close are we to ac- person’s connec- tually achieving this? tome would need Despite being part of a prevalently secular movement, to be mapped some transhumanists are interested in making immortality while the person real [1]. However, we are still far from understanding all the is still alive. For Humani Victus Instrumenta: Ars Coquinaria, biochemical underpinnings of biological systems [2], so ex- this, we need ac- Wikimedia Commons, http://bit.ly/2f5j3W2 panding the lifespan of our bodies indefinitely is beyond our curate and pref- reach for now. That's why the thought of circumventing the erably noninvasive technologies for scanning the structure of complexity and inevitable fallibility of biological systems, by the brain circuitry, and what we have now is still too impre- just storing ourselves on electronic devices, is so appealing. cise [6]. Still, even with the necessary technological advances, More than just confining the mind to a humanoid cyborg, mapping at the cellular level might prove to be insufficient having the mind wander in a virtual reality would open fas- – we may have to record all the different metabolomes at the cinating possibilities for problem-solving and entertainment single-neuron level in order to faithfully replicate a person’s [3]. mind in a machine, or go to an even smaller scale [6].

Can You Upload Your Mind? The Problem is Plasticity The idea of uploading our minds onto computers has been If against all odds, we succeed in collecting this vast amount around since the advent of personal computers and has of information and upload it onto a computer, a fundamen- been extensively explored in the realm of science fiction tal problem arises: Will this mind really behave like the literature, with works such as those original mind? A key quality of the of Arthur C. Clarke [4] or the Neu- human brain connectome is its plas- romancer trilogy [5]. These works WOULD AN ARTIFICIAL MIND ticity. Two scenarios are possible: 1. date from an era where computing BEHAVE LIKE A BIOLOGICAL ONE? the electronic mind will not be able power sufficient to hold a mind was to respond to external events, or 2. a far-fetched fantasy and knowledge it will, but will do so differently than of how the brain works was sparse. Excitingly, nowadays the biological one. we have much more knowledge and computing power that Therefore, regardless of whether the synthetic mind has could pave the way for such advances. the ability to evolve, a transfer would inevitably create two To find a method to upload minds, we first need to define minds that would eventually diverge and end up responding the mind. The leading model states that the mind is com- to outside stimuli differently. In the most extreme case, a posed of our self-aware thinking and judging consciousness transferred mind could turn against its biological counter- plus our autobiographical memory [6]. Since memories are parts, paralleling dystopian scenarios in which artificial in- stored in distinct neural circuits [7], many transhumanists telligence turns against humans. believe that mapping the circuits underlying each memory So, unless we devise technology that can accurately sim- will give us the blueprint for an electronic system able to ulate the biological complexity of the brain in all of its facets, house these memories [8]. After establishing what the to- true mind uploading to keep ourselves “alive” will remain a tality of someone’s neural circuitry – the connectome – looks pipe dream. like, the exact computational architecture would have to be reconstructed in silico, and then turned on at the appropri- * In brief, Moore’s law states that computing power dou- ate time. bles every 1.5 years ** See http://bit.ly/2f3p9L1 for a graph of the development Human Complexity Requires Power of computing power. We are slowly approaching the computing power matching that of the human brain. In 2012, the Blue Gene Q super- [1] Bostrom, J Evol Technol, 2005 computer successfully ran a simulation of 530 billion neu- [2] http://bit.ly/2ehxxTV rons [9]. While this still does not account for the enormous [3] http://bit.ly/2e4R4Fo number of connections in the brain’s neural network or its [4] Clarke, The City and the Stars, 1956 speed, according to Moore’s law*, we are also not very far [5] Gibson, Neuromancer, 1984 from emulating it**. [6] Kaku, The Future of the Mind, 2014 The connectome of the worm, C. elegans was complete- [7] Silva et al, Science, 2009 ly mapped in 2012 [10], but understanding how the cogni- [8] http://bit.ly/2dQaro0 tive functions of higher mammals work is another level of [9] http://bit.ly/2f1uUZy complexity altogether. Aside from having several orders [10] http://bit.ly/2eyGGsV of magnitude more cells and synapses, one of the biggest [11] http://bit.ly/2eEM3on challenges is that we still do not understand in detail how the brain produces the sensation of a mind. We know little Ioana Weber about how exactly memory works, and even less about our PhD Student, AG Tarabykin

www.medical-neurosciences.de 8 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

Memento Mori*: How Our Mind Handles the Inevitable End Death is part of our life. It is the only thing that is both cer- The Bright Side tain and unclear at the same time. And that scares us, well... Commodity theory says the value of things depends on to death. When you are a child, death is still something sur- their abundance [7]. If life were endless, it would be worth- real, a fuzzy idea that we cannot really grasp. With time less. We would have no purpose and no pressure to do any- we realize that death is all around us, going hand-in-hand thing. Death is scary, certainly. But somehow it turns life with life. We understand that time is limited. But still – dying into a gift. Some people realize this after they survive a seems to be distant, a whole lifetime away from us. life-threatening situation and suddenly worship every mo- ment. Some engage in dangerous sports to walk the thin Knowledge About Death Makes Us Human line between life and death and feel more alive. Some real- The poet Erich Fried once said “A dog that dies and knows ize it when they face an actual deadline: a fatal diagnosis. that it dies like a dog, and can say that it knows that it dies One prominent example might be Wolfgang Herrndorf, a like a dog, is a human” [1]. The knowledge of death and its writer who lived in Berlin and fell ill with a glioblastoma in meaning is all too human and is 2010 [8]. The agony that came with handled differently depending on his diagnosis put his doubts and the culture or religion. But why are AN ENDLESS LIFE WOULD fears about his work into perspec- we so afraid of dying? The idea that BE WORTHLESS tive and enabled him to write his there is an end to us is simply hor- masterpieces. One of them was his rifying. Studies show that our mind blog: “Arbeit und Struktur”. Living has developed a coping mechanism to handle the inevitable as a writer along the lines of his philosophy of “work and end, a so-called anxiety buffer. Confronted with death-relat- structure”, doing what he loved most, helped him fight off ed thoughts, we react by identifying stronger with cultural his thoughts about dying and kept him sane. values that stress immortality or higher self-esteem [2]. Death is scary and certain. But is there a bright side to Survival is a crucial biological instinct, causing us to seek it? Death might help us focus on the things that really mat- immortality, be it as individuals or as a species (by procre- ter in our lives. Things we want to achieve. Dreams we want ation), by writing to future generations or by seeking eter- to realize. Or just life itself. After all – we are still alive. We nal life for our soul. can run a marathon, spend time with our loved ones, write a book or just enjoy the morning sun. We are alive. What a Mental Stages of Dying luck. And when the time comes and we receive a terminal diagnosis? According to pioneering psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a * Latin; originating from Ancient Rome, the phrase means dying person goes through five phases of mind. First, there "Remember that you will die". is denial – they won’t accept the diagnosis, blaming a mis- take for the result. Next is anger, a reaction to the injustice [1 ] http://bit.ly/2e2DWm2 they have experienced. In the next phase, they bargain – [2] Salomon et al., Adv Exp Soc Psychol, 1991 asking for an extension to their lives in return for a sacrifice. [3] Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, 1969 When the patient sees that this won’t help, they succumb to [4] http://bit.ly/2ddVhtY depression, which is hopefully replaced by acceptance in the [5] http://bit.ly/2e6eo75 end [3]. The point of acceptance allows the patient to find [6] http://bit.ly/2ddW6Df peace of mind, helping friends and family to say goodbye. [7] http://bit.ly/2e9ip9I This is, however, only a concept. Reactions to one's own [8] http://bit.ly/1bu1SGz mortality are still individual and can be a great source of psychological distress when not properly dealt with. For Pina Knauff some, this situation might be a source of spiritual growth, PhD Student, AG Wulczyn but often people do not reach the acceptance stage and struggle with their fate. Even the mother of the five stages, Kübler-Ross herself, did not experience these states of mind and fought against her death until the end [4]. Facing death is an extreme situation, forcing our minds to deal with existential concerns that were never confront- ed before. Patients often experience emotions and levels of consciousness that are difficult to express and thus use symbolic language to communicate. Seeking order for their lives, they might talk about cleaning up the house. Others prepare for a long journey, expressing the urge to pack a suitcase or feeling nervous about missing a train, repre- senting the approaching departure from life [5]. At the end of their lives, patients in hospices express similar and re- current regrets when they look back: they wish they had lived their lives in a self-determined way, free of social con- straints, and that they had spent more time with friends and family and less time at work [6]. Maybe there is something to learn from them. Source: http://bit.ly/2dOZosQ

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 9

Ten Fingers, Ten Toes, One Heart… and Then What? The Case of Organ Donation from Anencephalic Babies In the United States, it is estimated donor list [4]. However, a major factor that in 1/1000 pregnancies, the fetus stands in the way of organ donation: is affected by a condition called anen- due to their rudimentary brain stem cephaly - a complete lack of forebrain activity, most newborns with anenceph- and cerebrum [1]. Instead, these fetuses aly exhibit at least some spontaneous possess a rudimentary telencephalon heartbeat and breathing. Thus, they and brainstem uncovered by skull or cannot be considered truly brain dead, skin. Understandably, this is a serious and donation is out of the question un- birth defect, and most pregnancies end til breathing ceases by itself [1,4]. in miscarriage. However, surprisingly Almost no-one advocates instant or- many babies survive entire pregnancies, gan removal from living, breathing in- accounting for 2-4 babies per 10,000 fants, but there are a number of ethical live births in Germany every year [2]. questions that arise when considering Source: fruity monkey, Flickr, http://bit.ly/2eMh5JR Most of these children die within pre- and perinatal care. Anencephaly hours to days of birth, with some excep- is most commonly diagnosed via an support. After several challenges re- tions (more on that later). In the short ultrasound midway through a preg- lated to moving the baby between facili- time that they are alive, these babies nancy. Though miscarriage is the most ties, the hospital eventually brought the may exhibit reflex reactions to exter- common endpoint for these pregnan- family to court, arguing that in the light nal stimulation, but they are blind, deaf, cies, many women must still choose to of limited medical resources, K’s use of and unable to feel pain. Without a brain, have an elective termination or to carry a ventilator constituted futile medical they are completely unaware of their the fetus to term, with the hope it may intervention. The court ruled in favour surroundings without any form of con- eventually qualify for donor status. This of the family, and K lived to the age of sciousness [1]. In absence of additional is understandably a heartbreaking deci- 2 years and 174 days [6]. For the record, medical assistance, they usually suc- sion, made only harder by the legal and the longest-living child with anenceph- cumb to cardiac arrest or multi-system bureaucratic hurdles surrounding or- aly lived to the age of 3 years and 11 organ failure in short order. gan donation [4,5]. months [7], though it is not clear what At its root, anencephaly is a neural And if a child is born, yet more ques- form of medical intervention his family tube defect, like its better-known cous- tions arise. For example, it may take used during that time. in spina bifida. Little is known about quite some time for an infant to be de- At present, the question of organ why the neural tube fails to properly clared brain dead (i.e. breathing/heart- donation from anencephalic infants is form early in pregnancy, though both beat cessation), at which point other still wide open. Though many guidelines lab and epidemiological studies have organs may have degraded to the point technically permit the retrieval of or- shown that folic acid where they are not safe gans from dead anencephalic infants, it plays a large role in pre- to transplant [5]. This is is difficult to gauge how much of this in- venting both it and re- MOST ANENCEPHALIC exactly what happened formation trickles down to practitioners lated disorders [1]. How- BABIES ARE NOT in the case of “Baby or patients [4,5]. In some countries, ever, a large number of TRULY BRAIN DEAD Theresa”, an anenceph- such as the UK, it is estimated that an- anencephaly cases are alic baby born in 1992. encephalic organ donation is practically still unaccounted for. Her parents fought a nonexistent [5]. However, most agree Researchers have proposed that some prolonged legal challenge to allow The- that the legal stance on the topic needs transcription factors may play a role, as resa’s organs to be transplanted, during to be clarified. And most importantly, well as genes controlling the activity of which she died naturally. The court was parents need to have access to clear in- cilia [3]. Finally, there are also links to sympathetic to the altruistic motivation formation and appropriate counselling medications containing valproic acid of the parents, but stood by their op- before making any decisions. (such as mood stabilizers and anticon- posing legal position [4]. Until the day that researchers catch vulsants) taken by the mother during up with the fundamental causes of an- pregnancy [1]. Life, Death, and Intervention encephaly, the question of how we de- One option to preserve organ function fine death, even in the rarest circum- Ethical Flashpoint without changing the definition of brain stances, will have to remain on the table. For all its rarity and rapid mortality, one death is to provide partial life support would not think that anencephaly would measures (for example, intubation), [1] http://bit.ly/1KAeaCh be a condition to attract the attention until an infant’s heart stops beating. [2] Khoshnood et al., BMJ 2015 of large-scale lobby groups or ethicists. However, many ethicists and parents [3] Badano et al., Annu Rev Genomics But there is one important factor that consider this as simply “prolonging the Hum Genet 2006 sets it apart from many other birth de- inevitable”, and elect not to go through [4] Bard, Western New England Law fects: infants with anencephaly, though with these more invasive procedures Review 1999 having no hope of ever being sentient, [4,5]. Keeping anencephalic babies on [5] Brierly, TOG 2013 typically have all other organs in good (partial) life support also comes with [6] http://bit.ly/2eU05Cx health. So what about organ donation? substantial legal baggage. [7] http://bit.ly/2eV6pZ3 Organs for transplant for infants are In 1992, “Baby K” was born with an- vanishingly rare, and many young chil- encephaly, but due to her parents’ firm Constance Holman dren die every year while waiting on a religious convictions, was placed on life PhD Student, AG Schmitz

www.medical-neurosciences.de 10 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

Neuronal Fate: A Story of How Neurons Grow up The person you become all depends on your genes, your education and the experiences you make as you go through Source: Enoch Lai, Wikimedia Commons, http://bit.ly/2fa3KOJ life. In science, this is condensed down to "nature and nur- ture". Oddly enough, this process doesn’t seem to be any During development, extracellular signals like molecular different for your neurons [1]! Let's have a look at how a gradients or secreted proteins act on neuronal progenitors stem cell (square one for a neuron) develops into a highly and lead to the expression of specific transcription factors specialized neuron, and is able to take on location-, connec- inside the cell [2]. This signaling, together with epigenetic tivity-, and marker-specific charac- modifications [3], and the action of teristics. microRNAs [4] signal the neuron to The career path to becoming a A NEURON'S PERSONALITY differentiate into one specific sub- neuron seems quite clear: A stem DEVELOPS OVER TIME type. cell has to become a neuronal pro- You can think of this process as a genitor cell, which commits to a step-by-step development: At each neuronal fate and eventually differentiates into a special- stage, the neuron has to make an individual fate decision ized neuronal cell – so far, so good. [2]. Similar to your decisions along your career, a neuron But, looking at the nervous system, you will realize that has to commit to one choice: If you decide to do a master's there are lots and lots of neuronal subtypes, each of them degree in architecture, you will most likely not pursue a ca- perfectly designed for a different task. This begs the ques- reer in neuroscience. tion of how a neural progenitor cell knows whether it is to To sum up, neurons specialize step-by-step and once a become a peripheral sensory neuron or a pyramidal cell in decision is made, there is no turning back (at least not with- the brain? out researchers interfering).

What Determines a Neuron's "Personality"? [1] Petersen and Pocock, Worm, 2013 Every neuron has a distinct profile of gene expression, axo- [2] Jukam and Desplan, Curr Opin Neurobiol, 2010 dendritic morphology, neurotransmitter or sensory receptor [3] Tang et al., Develop Growth Differ, 2015 expression [2]. [4] Sun et al., Curr Opin Cell Biol, 2013 To reach its final, specialized state, a neuron has to take plenty of decisions of what (not) to become. In the end, the Juliane Schiweck sum of individual decisions leads to a complex cell fate [2]. PhD Student, AG Eickholt

Beyond the Grave: Finding True Immortality Throughout history people have HeLa cells have become the cornerstone of modern bio- tried to cheat death, but only very medical research, being the first to test a novel polio vac- few were granted immortality… at cine, develop cancer drugs, be cloned, be chromosome least in a certain sense. mapped and even go to space![2] In a cruel irony for the Henrietta Lacks is probably the family, who were never officially informed nor compensated best studied person by biomedical for their contribution to research, HeLa cells were commer- scientists, cially exploited by companies which yet among earned billions, all while her family the least rec- HELA CELLS HAVE NOW couldn't afford health insurance [3]. ognized. BEEN ALIVE FOR 65 YEARS! A book by science writer Rebecca A mother Skloot has finally brought public at- of 5, she was tention to the family’s legacy. [4] Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) diagnosed with an unusually aggres- Nowadays, several initiatives, foundations and research circa 1945-1950, Wikimedia sive cervical cancer in 1951. During institutes have started to honor Henrietta Lacks with me- Commons, http://bit.ly/2fjZHwp her first surgery, her doctors took a morial lectures, talks and meetings. In that sense, Henrietta biopsy without her consent (patient has finally reached immortality beyond her cells. approval was still a novel concept at that time). However, the tissue was not sent for diagnostics, but to the clinic’s [1] http://nyti.ms/2eD8PPo cell culture specialist, who for 30 years had tried to isolate [2] http://bit.ly/2eUyOjJ immortal cell lines for research [1]. Unlike other cells, Hen- [3] http://cbsn.ws/2eiA4f0 rietta Lacks’ cancer cells divided at a higher rate and kept [4] http://bit.ly/2eZ5E1f dividing multiple times without dying, becoming the first “immortal” cell line. Henrietta Lacks died later that year, but her cells continue to thrive to this day. The cell line was Bettina Schmerl called HeLa in reference to the involuntary donor. PhD Student AG Shoichet

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 11

Cotard Syndrome When People Think They are… Dead! Generally speaking, you would assume that most people (ex- Anecdotally, Cotard syndrome has been preceded by a cluding some emo bands) will not adamantly disagree with variety of other neurological or psychiatric illnesses, includ- the statement that they are alive and breathing, right? How- ing migraines or lycanthropy [2]. In addition, the lack of es- ever, as strange as this may seem, there really are some tablished diagnosis guidelines means that careful differen- people out there who wholeheartedly believe that they tial diagnosis is necessary to differentiate Cotard syndrome have, in fact, already kicked the bucket. from similar illnesses like asomatognosia. More than a century ago, the French neurologist Jules Cotard was consulted on a mysterious patient who suffered I Don’t Feel, Therefore I Am… Not! from rather irregular symptoms. The 43-year old female Little is known about the underlying pathophysiologi- walked into his surgery and complained vividly about being cal mechanisms of Cotard Syndrome, although several bereft of her brain. In graphic detail, she hypotheses have elegantly matched lucidly described how the lack of nerves, symptoms with neuroanatomical theo- chest, stomach and intestines was upset- ALL THIS MEANS ries. Conceptually, Cotard Syndrome ting her, and as a consequence of which I MUST BE DEAD! has been explained with a two-factor she insistently demanded to be burnt. model of delusional beliefs [2]. The first To puzzle pauvre monsieur Cotard even factor refers to highly unusual experiences more, she was staunchly convinced that she was immortal (e.g. loss of all emotional experiences) possibly caused by and wouldn’t need to eat – ironically, this story culminated impaired crosstalk between brain areas involved in emotional in her death from starvation. Deeply mesmerized by this and sensory processing. Besides abnormal affective process- patient, Jules Cotard first described the syndrome as délire ing, patients show cognitive biases by excessive internal at- des negations, which later came to be known more popu- tribution. This way, a patient might erroneously attribute larly as Cotard syndrome. the absence of any emotional/sensory experience to the fact that they are, in fact, dead. “I don’t feel myself, which I How Can You be Alive and Feel Dead? means I have to be dead…” Around 100 other cases with varying severity of this bizarre Neuroanatomically, Cotard-like nihilistic delusions have phenomenon have since been documented. Way more se- been related to widespread occipito-parieto-temporal and rious than just a trashy bout of existentialism, Cotard pa- limbic disconnection, whose role in affective processing is tients are insistent that they or parts of them have ceased well-known. On the other hand, more frontal areas are be- to exist. Paradoxically, a majority also believe that they are lieved to be involved in aberrant reasoning and belief evalu- immortal. This understandably leaves patients with severe ation. Also, the usual suspects like the cingulate cortex or depression and anxiety. the amygdala have been implicated and link well with the Three consecutive stages of Cotard syndrome (based on widespread prevalence of psychotic depression among pa- a single patient, though) have been suggested [1]: During tients. the germination stage, incipient symptoms of psychotic de- At the same time, it should be noted that the infinitesimal pression, such as delusions and suicidal ideation, as well as prevalence of Cotard Syndrome makes it a highly difficult hypochondria first appear. During the blooming stage, pa- illness to study. In addition, patients often present with a tients deteriorate and delusions of negation appear as the host of comorbidities, such as severe depression and anxi- clinical leitmotif. For instance, in the case study that Yar- ety [3], which makes it challenging to disentangle individual nada and colleagues describe, the patient refused to eat pathologies. because “Food wouldn’t go down my throat. My bowels don’t work, and my bo- Are There Any Treatment Options? dy can’t excrete Due to its (luckily) low frequency, there is a paucity of stud- urine or faeces.” ies on how to treat Cotard syndrome. In general, drugs from Often, character- various different groups, such as antidepressants or anti- istic delusions of psychotics, have been used successfully either alone or in immortality ap- combination. Electroconvulsive therapy, arguably one of the pear during this most potent treatments for affective and psychotic disor- stage. Finally, if ders, may be more effective, although the literature on this not abated, the topic is scant. Treating an underlying condition, such as psy- illness takes a chotic depression, first always seems a good idea. chronic course So what does the case of Cotard Syndrome tell us? That with persistent, pretty much anything can go wrong with this strange organ violent symp- in our head. toms of delu- sions and full- [1] Yarnada et al, Acta Psychiatr Scand, 1999 blown psychotic [2] Ramirez-Bermudez et al, J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, depression. 2010 [3] Berrios et al, Acta Psychiatr Scand, 1995

Pendant with a Monk and Death, Helge Hasselmann Wikimedia Commons, http://bit.ly/2eyndJ0 PhD Student, AG Otte/AG Paul

www.medical-neurosciences.de 12 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

How Different Cultures View Early Life and Death Source: Regula Tschumi, Wikimedia Wikimedia Tschumi, Regula Source: The Beginning… …And The End http://bit.ly/2ey1YXR Commons, When a baby is born, parents are usually overwhelmed with Depending on our spiritual or religious backgrounds, we see emotions, and only want the best for their child. But the in- death as either the end of life or as some sort of transition. terpretation of what “the best” is also depends on the par- Every people has its own way of dealing with death and grief. ents’ nationality and can be somewhat, let’s say, "unique". Some of them seem very creative, others more disturbing.

Sifudu Smoke Fantasy Coffins This ritual is practiced in Nigeria and means “passing baby This interesting tradition from southern Ghana is based on through smoke”. Between the third and fourteenth day after the belief that life continues after death the same way as it birth, leaves from a Sifudu tree are burnt, causing a pun- was before. Therefore, people make individual, colorful cof- gent smoke that is irritating to the mouth and eyes. The fins that often reflect the dead person’s profession or pas- baby is held head downwards into this smoke several times, sion, which is thought to allow them to start the afterlife in the belief that this prevents the child from being fright- as conveniently as possible [5]. From a boat to a piano to a ened, timid or shy [1]. pack of cigarettes, everything is possible.

Precious Saliva Death Beads An interesting way to give blessings to a baby is practiced Space in graveyards in South Korea is running out, so a law by the Wolof people in Mauritania. They believe that sali- was passed in 2000 mandating that people who get buried va can retain words so the women spit into the baby’s face need to be removed 60 years later. This crisis led to an in- while men spit into the baby’s ear. To ensure that the bless- vention which has gained popularity during the last decade: ing works, they rub the saliva all over its head [1]. Death beads. These turquoise beads are generated by melt- ing the cremated ashes at ultrahigh temperatures [6]. In Recycled Wedding Cake this way, the beloved one can be kept at home “forever”. In comparison to applying saliva onto Mauritanian babies, Irish babies seem to have better luck. Couples freeze the Consuming Grief top tier of their wedding cake and re-use it for the chris- As an act of compassion, some tribes in South America, Af- tening of their first baby. Some crumbs are sprinkled over rica and India used to eat their deceased family members. the baby’s head and if the couples have leftovers from their As a part of the grieving process, the Wari’ people in Brazil wedding champagne, this will also be used to wet the baby’s ate the complete corpse whereas other tribes, like the Ama- head for good luck [1]. Cheers! huaca Indians, made some sort of gruel out of the ground bones and corn [7]. Placenta Power In contrast to many animal species, eating up the placenta Death is Not the End following delivery is a somewhat unusual practice for hu- In contrast to Western culture, members of the Toraja eth- mans. Proponents of human placentophagy claim that eat- nic group in Indonesia are buried weeks, months or even ing their own placenta results in better mood, increased years after they pass away. For the Toraja, death is a grad- energy and lactation although there is no study that gives ual process toward the afterlife. Therefore, the deceased is evidence for a causal effect. Dried placenta is also common- wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept in a special room ly used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat infertility, in the family’s home. They are still part of family life, are impotence and other conditions [2]. symbolically fed and taken out every once in a while. At the actual funeral, the social status of the deceased is reflected Lithuanian Baby Race in the numbers of sacrificed chickens and water buffaloes [8]. Every year on International Children’s Day (June 1st), Lithu- anian toddlers compete in a race where they have to crawl a Sky Burial 5-meter carpet to their mothers as fast as they can. All par- This special form of funeral is practiced in different regions ticipants seem to have great fun, and the winner this year of Asia (e.g., Tibet, Mongolia), where people practice Va- crawled the distance within 11 seconds [3]. jrayna Buddhism. A monk or a rogyapas (body-breaker) pre- pares the dead body (by taking out the organs) and places Toddler Tossing it on a mountaintop to return the body to nature. Most of This ritual may be the scariest one for outsiders. At an an- the time, this means that the dead body will be devoured nual festival in India, babies and toddlers are tossed from by vultures to the bone. The bones are then ground with a a 15-meter high tower, right onto a landing sheet. Despite special sort of flour and given to crows and hawks that wait appearing to be a traumatic experience for the babies, it is until the vultures have departed [9]. This way, the deceased supposed to give luck, health and prosperity to the child [4]. merges with the wind.

[1] h t t p : / /g l b l c t z n . m e/2 ew E s a T [6] http://lat.ms/2eo69Ho [2] http://bit.ly/2ewE5Ng [7] http://bit.ly/2ewEfo0 [3] http://bit.ly/2ewEtLS [8] http://bit.ly/2enT6Wx [4] http://dailym.ai/2eo6Wbq [9] http://bit.ly/2eo70I6 Betty Jurek [5] http://bit.ly/2ewFl39 PhD Student, AG Prüß

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 13

The “Right To Die With Dignity” What Does Legislation Across the World Say About End-of-Life Practices? With the fast modernization of medi- by a lethal injection. It is currently only conditions require that patients are ter- cine in the last few decades, life-pro- legal in 4 countries. The Netherlands minally ill and/or continuously suffering longing methods have gained power in was the first to allow it in 2002, fol- great pain with no treatment to allevi- controlling the time of death. Some- lowed shortly by Belgium. It was made ate their agony. The procedure has to times, however, this comes at the ex- legal in Luxembourg in 2009 and most be approved by at least one physician pense of quality of life. Hence, the le- recently in Colombia in 2015 [1]. and patients have to formulate their galization of practices that allow you desire free of any constraints and in a to die with dignity, such as assisted My Life, My Death, My Choice clear and repeated manner [4]. suicide and euthanasia, remains a per- Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is a Moreover, in most countries, patients petual and controversial debate around life-ending method where the patient must be 18 or older to have the “right the world. Although both define very is provided with lethal to die,” with the excep- closely life termination practices, these drugs that he or she tion of the Netherlands terms should be distinguished from then self-administers ONLY 4 COUNTRIES which grants children each other. under the supervision of HAVE LEGALIZED as young as 12 years a physician. This method ACTIVE EUTHANASIA old this right, and Bel- was first legalized in gium which completely Switzerland in 1942 and removed the age re- is now legal in Canada and some states striction in 2014. Hence, in September of the US, in addition to the countries 2016, a terminally ill 17-year-old became that allow active euthanasia [2]. the first minor to undergo PAS in Bel- Passive euthanasia, or “to let die”, gium [5, 6]. consists of the termination (or not starting) of life-maintaining treatments, [1] van der Heide, Handb Clin Neurol., 2013 or forgoing food and drink. It has also [2] http://bit.ly/2eCoqRe been legalized in the countries men- [3] http://bit.ly/2dXFJIB tioned above (except the US and Swit- [4] http://bbc.in/24sxbxo Source: fotolia.com, Dan Race zerland) and in some others such as [5] http://bbc.in/2cgq6xK Mexico, Ireland, and India [3]. [6] Emanuel et al., JAMA, 2016 Active euthanasia involves a direct Euthanasia and PAS are strictly medical act that intentionally shortens regulated and are only authorized if Valérie Boujon the suffering of a patient, for example specific criteria are met. In general, PhD Student, AG Endres

Total Recall 2.0 Implantable Memory Chip Will Make Our Lives Unforgettable Having trouble remembering things? neuronal activity in the hippocampus, Childhood moments, appointments, hoping to find the algorithms that will formulas for the next exam or where you allow them to decode the much more put your keys? Technology is set to make complex human memory [3]. memory problems a thing of the past. The technology, promoted by the US Theodore Berger and his colleagues Department of Defense, represents a from the University of Southern Califor- promising treatment for memory im- nia have developed a computer chip that pairment due to dementia, or traumatic enhances memory ca- brain injury such as in pacities. The prosthetic soldiers [4]. However, mimics the function of MAKING MEMORIES LAST there is a risk that the the hippocampus, the WITH A BRAIN IMPLANT chip will be used to im- area of the brain where plant false memories, a new memory is en- erase memories or de- coded and transformed into long-term code personal memories. Social injustice memory. It does so by recording incom- could arise when superior brain abilities [1] http://bit.ly/2ecfFNG ing neuronal signals, translating them become a matter of who has more mon- [2] http://bit.ly/2e5R35l via defined algorithms and signalling ey [5]. Even though the technology is [3] http://bit.ly/1Mxd7yg back to the output region [1]. So far, the not yet ready for the market, the vision [4] http://bit.ly/1pilYx7 chip has proven itself useful for simple for enhanced brain power is there. Ker- [5] http://bit.ly/2e96x7L tasks in rats and monkeys [1,2] paving nel is the start-up that has been founded [6] http://wapo.st/2aURnk5 the way for human trials. By piggyback- to promote this neuroprosthetic [6]. En- ing on electrodes implanted in epileptic hanced memory is for sale – just don't Pina Knauff patients, researchers can now record forget to go shopping! PhD Student, AG Wulczyn

www.medical-neurosciences.de 14 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

Brain-gnacy: How Giving Birth Changes Your Brain If I asked you for the most appar- This process involves changes in sev- fast initiation of maternal behavior ent change in a pregnant woman, you eral HPA components, but also higher right after childbirth [3]. During deliv- would probably not answer ‘the brain’. brain regions and is reflected by re- ery, oxytocin is released and acts on Looking at all the physical changes in duced secretion of adrenocorticotropic receptors in the mPOA and other brain a woman’s body during pregnancy, it is hormone following stress [3]. regions – and maternal behavior is in- understandable that the brain seems duced [3]. to be a supporting rather than a main Just On Time! actor in the 9 month-long play called A normal pregnancy is estimated to last Your Kid Lives On In You pregnancy. Here is why around 268 days, and During pregnancy, cells from the fe- – surprise – the brain is more often than not, tus can cross the placenta and remain important for pregnan- YOUR BRAIN MAKES the due date is not too in the mother’s body – sometimes for cy and child birth. YOU HUNGRY far off from what the decades. These cells are mainly found The pregnant brain gynecologist predicted. in the bloodstream during and right needs to coordinate To prevent premature after pregnancy, but can be found any- physiological changes that on the one birth, the brain has to coordinate the where in the body as well. Some studies hand allow the baby to grow and on the availability and action of labor-inducing have even shown a migration of fetal other hand prepare the mother for the factors. For example, the neuropeptide cells to the maternal brain [4]. Different challenges of giving birth and mother- oxytocin stimulates contractions of the studies found positive or negative ef- hood. Female sex steroid hormones, like uterus during birth. Throughout preg- fects on maternal health, ranging from estrogens and progesterone are ele- nancy, the hormonal increased risk for auto- vated during pregnancy and can act on environment changes immune disease [5] to the brain to induce changes that favor in a way that keeps oxy- PREGNANCY MAKES improved wound heal- pregnancy, like increased appetite, a re- tocin-secreting neurons YOU (ALMOST) ing [6]. duced stress response or the inhibition quiescent, while oxyto- IMMUNE TO STRESS In a nutshell, your and accumulation of neuropeptides un- cin continues to accu- brain needs to adapt til they are needed [1]. mulate and its receptor during pregnancy and expression increases [1]. This accumula- changes a lot of processes in the body. Hungry All the Time? tion of oxytocin is believed to facilitate Being the perfect host, the brain does Growing new life inside one’s body synchronized firing of neurons that everything in its powers to make preg- means that a lot more energy is needed then secrete pulses of oxytocin during nancy and being a mother possible. – to supply the fetus with nutrients and birth. In concert, these stimulate con- to build up energy reserves that can be tractions of the uterus and ultimately [1] http://bit.ly/2deNVll used in the period of lactation after the facilitate childbirth [1]. [2] http://bit.ly/2d9Cuju child is born. Appetite is usually regu- [3] http://go.nature.com/2d9Du7q lated so that energy intake is in balance How to Be a Mommy [4] http://bit.ly/2e0f7sg with energy expenditure [2]. To allow Let the brain do the job. Many mothers- [5] http://bit.ly/2dVr4hV for increased food intake, changes in to-be might have wondered at some [6] http://bit.ly/2dgM4fx the brain that suppress the sensation of point if they are capable of being a satiety take place. While satiety is nor- mom. Maternal love seems to be some- mally signaled by the hormone leptin, what natural and unconditional every- Juliane Schiweck the pregnant brain develops a central where in the world. You might have PhD Student, AG Eickholt resistance to leptin, which ultimately guessed it already, it increases appetite and food intake [2]. is indeed the usual So, in a sense, your brain acts like your suspect who pulls grandma, stuffing you with food for the the strings for ma- bad times! ternal love: your brain. Stressless Superwomen After birth, mater- Since exposure of the fetus to high lev- nal behavior needs els of stress hormones increases the to be initiated to risk for cardiovascular, metabolic and ensure survival of psychiatric diseases in later life, it is the newborn. The necessary to minimize the exposure of medial preoptic area the fetus to stress [3]. This means that (mPOA), which has either everyone has to tip-toe around some control over pregnant women, or we need to change the reward circuitry, the mother-to-be’s physiological re- has a central role sponse to stress. If only it were possible in the regulation of to reduce the levels of circulating stress maternal behavior. hormones! Wait – that is exactly what’s Priming of the mPOA happening. In pregnancy, changes in by the changed en- the maternal hypothalamic–pituitary– docrine environment adrenal (HPA) axis occur which render during pregnancy mommy hyporesponsive to stressors. is necessary for the Adapted from http://bit.ly/2dlW1si

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences 15

Heads or Tails: The Surgical Gamble of Transplanting a Human Brain One reason why I write for this newsletter is that I want to In an image make neuroscience capture the public imagination. Some- truly delight- times, though, that happens in aggravating ways. Often ful to con- Source: ellajphillips, Flickr, http://bit.ly/2fpjviN when I get started people interrupt impatiently: “Yeah, template, The that’s interesting,” they say, “but have you heard about the Atlantic reports that Canavero plans to have the head “float guy that’s going to have a head transplant?” And then I across the operating theater to the donor body on a cus- think to myself “Yeah… what about him?”. tomized crane, hanging by Velcro straps.” [2]. The two spi- “The guy” in question is Valery Spirindov, a 31-year-old nal cord remnants would then be aligned, doused with more Russian entrepreneur with a terminal neurodegenerative polyethelyne glycol and administered electrical shocks, condition called Werdning-Hoffman disease that has been also thought to aid in preventing nerve damage [3,6]. From systemically destroying his motor neurons. Valery’s single- there, the surgery is mostly mechanical, albeit nightmar- minded intent to save his own life brought him into contact ishly so. First, blood vessels, then esophagus, trachea and with one of the world’s leading experts in transplantation muscles. Easy peasy. medicine. Dr. Xiaoping Ren currently runs a lab at Harbin Even if it "mechanically" works, I (and the rest of the Medical University, where his team specializes in severing medical establishment) have some serious questions. The spinal cords and transplanting heads in mice. In several of brain is stunningly plastic, even in adulthood, but expect- his papers, it was reported that 22% of animals survived the ing a brain to communicate with an entirely new peripheral procedure for more than two hours [1]. In fact, they seemed nervous system is a lot to ask. Even if autonomic functions to regain some bodily function, and were able to eat, drink, like breathing and heartbeat regulation are successful, what and move clumsily around their cages. about sensation? What about motor control? Mr. Sprindov hasn’t walked since infancy. And what about organ rejection Fringe Science or Calculated Risk? (more technically, which half will be rejecting the other)? However, Ren’s findings have recently jumped from relative- Will Spirindov ever feel “at home” in his new body? ly minor journals to tabloid coverage, as it was revealed last year that he had transplanted the head of a macaque. It sur- The Verdict vived for an indeterminate amount of time and, according I am clearly not an an expert in any field of the 80+ member to Ren and others, demonstrated promising motor activity team trying to make this surgery happen. There is a lot of (including biting). A reporter who was shown the “after” vid- expertise being poured into this undertaking, second only eos drily reported that the animal didn’t appear to do much to the amount of good will in the project. But as much as at all, apart from blinking when it was poked in the eye with I hope for Mr. Sprindov’s sake that he will walk away from forceps [2]. this a changed man (in every literal sense), I do not think Part of the reason why head transplantation procedures it will work. I think that Ren and Canavero are really onto have been gaining momentum (and media attention) is due something - their techniques are based on decades of work to Ren’s partner, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero. Ca- in transplant medicine, and are hardly as Frankensteinian as navero, in many ways, has been a most stories might have you believe. loud advocate of the procedure, in But their uniqueness is part of the Spirindov’s case boasting that the TRANSPLANTED MACAQUE problem. surgery would have a “90 percent HEAD MOVES, AND BITES! Their published works are a verita- plus” chance of success [2]. Togeth- ble net of self-citation, and most oth- er with Ren, he is a core member er experts who weigh in do so from of HEAVEN, the head anastomosis venture project with the their scientific armchairs. Given the ethical implications, it’s rather spectacular plan to sketch out a procedure for “total understandable why more scientists don’t want to work on cephalic exchange in man” [3]. head transplantation. But I believe that participation from a wider scientific community would exponentially increase Transplant On the Table the team’s odds of success, while bringing some more ac- First, the surgery requires one extremely important ingredi- countability to its more outlandish claims. ent: a “donor”. In Spirindov’s case, this will likely be a young However, despite all of the bombast and exaggeration fly- male victim of an accident causing brain death. After get- ing around this news story, I still have to commend everyone ting consent from family members, this unfortunate indi- involved for getting people legitimately excited (both on bi- vidual would be brought into an operating theatre alongside ological and ethical standpoints). I plan on following how the Spirindov. The latter would be anesthetized, and cooled to story plays out in the coming year, and will be reporting on 10 degrees Celsius [3]. Such therapeutic hypothermia has the eventual outcome right here. Stay tuned. been shown to have neuroprotective effects [4], but only to a point. The doctors theorize that after this temperature is [1] Ren et al., CNS Neurosci. Ther. 2014 achieved, the team would have one hour to move the head [2] Kean, The Atlantic 2016 without causing irreversible damage. [3] Canavero, Surg Neurol Int 2013 So away they will go. Both men will be simultaneously [4] Karnatovskaia et al., Neurohospitalist., 2014 decapitated using the GEMINI procedure, developed by Ca- [5] Borgens, Neurosurgery 2001 navero and others. Essentially, the spinal cord is severed us- [6] Gordon et al. Int Rev Neurobiol, 2009 ing a diamond-coated microblade, while the environment is perfused with polyethelyne glycol, a chemical that causes Constance Holman cell bodies to fuse and ideally lessen degeneration [1,3,5]. PhD Student, AG Schmitz

www.medical-neurosciences.de 16 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

ZOMBIES! As the mist of fall creeps onto our desks, and Hal- loween stood at the door as I wrote this article, it seemed like the perfect time to deal with one of the most popular phenomena in the literature of life and death (or rather, lack thereof). Mankind has always wondered about what comes after death (nothing vs. heaven / hell vs. rebirth) or if there are creatures who could escape the path of mortality such as ghosts, demons, vampires and, most importantly, ZOMBIES! Although most of us might have a pretty de- tailed imagination of what an undead would act and look like, have you ever wondered what is be- hind the fiction? A Pubmed search for “zombie” gives 94 hits, proving that science has dealt with the topic as well. What's it all about? Source: https://pixabay.com/de/zombie-fleischfresser-toten-949915/

Research on the Living Dead become a major and inevitable pop-cultural phenomenon. The word "zombie" most likely originates from the Haitian Nowadays Zombies are present everywhere: they star very Creole word zonbie, meaning the spirit of a dead person. popular TV series (The Walking Dead), entertain us on our Documented at least since the 19th century, the term is as- smartphone (Plants vs. Zombies), haunt us in super-realistic sociated with the concept of a returned and/or reanimated video games (Resident Evil), frighten us in big-budget Hol- corpse conjured by magic. lywood movies (World War Z) and even mess up classic Eng- Nowadays it is often con- lish literature (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). nected to the Haitian Voo- Since the first black and white movies, the typography doo religion like in the of zombies changed dramatically: from compliant slaves very first movie adaption (White Zombie, 1932) to man-eating monsters (Night of “White Zombie” [1], al- the Living Dead, 1968 and ever after) arising in danger- though the concept is not ous flocks (The Walking Dead) or even armies of undead a major part of the core (Game of Thrones) and as intelligent as ruthless predators religious beliefs. A much (28 Days Later). With the release of the popular video game more likely explanation for Resident Evil a new reading of the undead was introduced: PubMed's selection than the infection-based pandemic spreading of zombification sorcery is knowledge about leading to annihilation of our societies. In short, the zombie toxins, such as tetrodotoxin apocalypse. or atropine, and their ability Vampires were the (rather romantic) horror of the past to induce the state of apparent death when social constraints generated a lingering for myths and/or resurrection by “black magic”, and eroticism. The central plot of these stories have not delusions of mind control, or simply changed much over the past 200 years. However, modern false identification of disoriented/ society and pop culture seems to be more obsessed with mentally ill people as recently de- new takes on the zombie apocalypse. But why? According ceased [2]. to George A. Romero, creator of Night of the Living Dead, Other articles cover the phe- zombies' lasting popularity is due to their similarity with our nomenon of parasites apparently own mindlessness, therefore also reflecting society prob- taking control over their hosts, like lems we would like to ignore [7]. At the same time, zombies the tropic fungus Ophiocordyceps are like a blank canvas – anything can be interpreted from unilateralis which can alter infected their dead eyes, ranging from conservatism, an inertia-filled ants’ behavior, quite in line with the middle class, consumerism, or mass surveillance. Whatever classic Haitian zombie picture [3]. irritations modern society has can and will be reflected in Amusingly, some sources also use zombie stories – therefore they never seem to get old [8]. the term to discuss research which But in the end, zombies are certainly the only group of should have been buried long ago, people sharing our neuroscientists’ enthusiasm for brains! but still keeps staggering on [4]. However, medical explanations for [1] http://bit.ly/2g1Njmz zombification are also discussed [2] Littlewood and Douyon, Lancet, 1997 [2] which is further used as setting [3] de Bekker et al., BMC Genomics, 2015 for epidemiological modeling of dis- [4] Charlton, Med Hypotheses, 2008 ease spread [5] and to prepare pub- [5] Alemi et al., Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2015 lic for emergency survival... although [6] Kruvand and Bryant, Public Health Rep, 2015 with little success [6]. [7] http://bit.ly/2fCdP7U [8] http://bit.ly/2exr4md Immortal and Undying Apart from being a medi- Bettina Schmerl cal curiosity, zombies have PhD Student, AG Shoichet

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences 17

Conference Report: World Health Summit During the eighth World Health Summit (WHS) this year, a for malaria, or the startup lot of big and ambitious topics were discussed: medical care Glasschair [2], who devel- for refugees, access to medicine, epidemics such as Ebola oped a wheelchair that can be or Zika, non-communicable diseases such as stroke, antimi- navigated by eye movements, crobial resistance (which constitutes one of today's major or COLDPLASMATECH [3], Source: Claudia Willmes health challenges), translational research, a startup that technological innovations, data management produces an amazing new solution to help and empowerment of women. 1800 EXPERTS FROM wounds heal faster. The WHS brought together about 1800 re- 90 COUNTRIES Attending this conference was a great searchers, physicians, government officials, opportunity to break beyond one's com- representatives from industry, non-govern- fort zone, meet interesting people from the mental organizations, and healthcare systems from more health sector and of course do some networking (I recom- than 90 countries to discuss the most pressing issues fac- mend printing business cards if you want to go next year). ing every facet of healthcare and medicine in the upcoming But above all, it was a great conference to get updated on decade and beyond. Prominent participants were Herrmann global health issues, and it made me want to focus even Source: https://pixabay.com/de/zombie-fleischfresser-toten-949915/ Gröhe, the German minister of health, Emanuelle Charpen- more on the translational aspect of science. tier from the Max Plank Institute for Infectious Diseases and The conference ended with a call to action in five key cen- Pascale Ehrenfreund from the German Aerospace Center ... tral areas of global health [4]: 1) Empowerment of Women just to do some name dropping. and Girls, 2) Right to Health of Refugees and Migrants, 3) Resilience and Global Health Security, 4) Sustainable solu- Not Your Average Scientific Conference tions against antimicrobial resistance, 5) Investment in Re- Rather than a series of snooze-inducing presentations, the search, Development and Health Innovation. It's all tall or- three days were full of open dialogues and discussion rounds der, but nonetheless a good start! in small rooms with a handful of appointed speakers who gave short presentations, followed by group discussions [1] midgemedical.com with plenty of opportunities to ask questions. The atmo- [2] glasschair.de sphere was very inspiring and everyone from high-level pol- [3] coldplasmatech.de icy makers to students held discussions together as equals. [4] http://bit.ly/M8 One highlight of the conference was the startup track pitch competition. This included amazing contributions such as Claudia Willmes Midge Medical [1], who invented a new blood testing device PhD Student AG Eickholt/AG Schmitz

Responding to the Devil’s Chaplain Berlin Students Developing A Diagnostic Test Called "Wormspotter" “What a book a Devil’s chaplain might write on the clumsy,

wasteful, blundering low & horridly cruel works of nature!” Wormspotter diagnost-x.de Source: Charles Darwin wrote in a letter to a colleague [1]. He knew Since summer 2016, a Berlin student that nature produces stories beyond the most morbid cor- team has been trying to fix this. The idea is to use genetic ners of our imagination. Here is one of them. engineering to develop a cheap, simple and accurate diag- nostic test for T. solium. This test is called Wormspotter and Taenia solium will enter into the iGEM competition, the largest synthetic bi- Taenia solium, or pork tapeworm, is a parasite with a com- ology competition in the world. The hope is that by finding plex lifecycle. It reproduces in the human intestine and sheds carriers of T. solium, treatment can be directed to those who its eggs in human feces. If a pig eats this feces, the eggs need it. hatch in its gut and the larvae burrow their way into soft tis- The competition will be held in September 2017 at the sue, where they wait as dormant cysts until humans eat un- Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, and the dercooked pork containing the parasites. This team is still growing. If you’re interested, cycle is quite harmless to humans. The nas- check out the website diagnost-x.de for more tier possibility is that a human eats tapeworm THE TAPEWORM TREATS details and contact information. eggs, due to poor hygiene or contaminated THE HUMAN LIKE A PIG The fact that such misery can be caused by food. The tapeworm then treats the human a worm getting “lost”, with no benefit to any like a pig: the larvae burrow into tissue and species, embodies Darwin’s view of nature’s form cysts there. When this occurs in the brain, it can have waste and cruelty. Perhaps, based on an understanding of serious health consequences. Epileptic seizures are the most nature pioneered by Darwin himself, it can be harnessed common symptom, but the cysts can also cause blindness, against its own cruelty. stroke symptoms, dementia, and in serious cases death. A conservative guess puts the number of people world- [1] http://bit.ly/2emzDTF wide suffering such extreme effects in the millions [2]. How- [2] Nash & Garcia. Nat Rev Neurology 2011 ever, a clear picture of how many people are infected by T. solium does not exist, because the current diagnostic meth- James Kerr M.Sc. ods are either expensive, unreliable, or both. AG Sterzer

www.medical-neurosciences.de 18 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

MedNeuros on the Loose: PhD Retreat 2016 It all began when an email was sent inviting students to help ter embarking on such a long journey, while some preferred in the organization of the first ever MedNeuro PhD retreat. to go early to bed, others waited a little while to enjoy the Having formed a team of organizers, several meetings night with the stars and cool breeze. It was full of smiles, were held together with the representative of the Med- laughter and giggling. Neuro office. The retreat was organized by MedNeuro PhD students with the aim of reinforcing the communication and From the Bench... interaction among the PhD students amidst the exchange of This was the day assigned to the talks and poster sessions scientific ideas. for the exchange of scientific knowledge. The organizers en- The enthusiastic response of students led to a total of sured that each talk had 5 minutes of discussion and each 33 registered participants. On D-day, our bus took off at poster 3 minutes. It was very inspiring to see how the stu- 4 pm en route to Schloss Wahlsdorf, dents listened attentively and par- 2 hours south of Berlin. In the bus, ticipated actively in the discussions each participant received the book- JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, that arose after each talk. Further- let for the retreat which contained WATCH OUT FOR THE more, the poster and talk sessions the program schedule, as well as NEXT PHD RETREAT unraveled the dynamism of neuro- some instructions. science topics in the PhD program, Our graduate school has re- ranging from electrophysiology to mained very international over the years, with a diversity clinical studies. To relax our minds after the scientific pro- of nationalities from across the globe represented. Most gram, we had a game session combining mime, puzzles, a students work in labs scattered across Berlin on the Charité quiz and making music from some selected scientific words. campuses, with the majority on campus Mitte. A quick sur- vey showed that most participants are in the middle of their ... to the Boardroom PhDs, although a few students are just beginning and very We had an interactive table discussion about careers with few almost finishing. Rob Thompson, an entrepreneur and well-renowned trainer. His approach was quite different from what most of us are Hitting the Town In Wahlsdorf used to. Participants raised questions or topics which were When we arrived at Schloss Wahlsdorf, we had a grill party of interest to them and we dealt with them accordingly. We for supper – lots of meat with servings of mixed greens and learnt some tips for getting the job we want and building bread. The quietness of the location with its few inhabitants your network. We also learnt how to deal with difficult col- was a great advantage for socializing and brainstorming. leagues and work in a team. The talk was exciting and had a The cool breeze of the night with its accompanying stars mock job interview with some participants acting as recruit- in the sky encouraged us to stay outside longer, socializing ers. over bottles of beer and wine. This facilitated the interac- Around 5 pm we prepared to head back to Berlin bringing tion among participants, which was one of the main reasons our 2-day retreat to a successful end. for organizing the retreat. This was really a retreat to remember and we look for- The speed dating session that night permitted practical- ward to making it an annual event. Just in case you missed ly all participants to interact with the others. This already it, watch out for the next PhD retreat. closed the gap between participants making each one feel The organizing team is grateful to all for your support comfortable and at home. Of course, on a day like this, af- and enthusiasm shown before and during the retreat. We thank the team (Valé- rie, Mariana, Priscilla, Fenia, Laura and Ve- ronika) and the Med- Neuro office for the financial support for making this retreat see the light of the day, and of course the wonderful partici- pants without whom the retreat would not have been successful.

Priscilla Koduah PhD Student, AG Paul

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences FOCUS 19

What Do We Get From Obtaining a PhD? We Are All In the Same Boat It is often tough work to obtain a PhD. project. In order to get there though, friendly. If this means helping out a col- This feeling of frustration, at least for you need a steep learning curve plus league from time to time, well then it's me, especially peaks during periods of lots of practice. One key point is to ac- well worth it, even if it means that you failing experiments/methods and lack cept that you don’t know everything have to work a bit overtime in your al- of progress. But apparently I am not and yes – you will make mistakes (a lot ready long schedule. The next time you alone in this. I would dare to say that all actually – you will feel fairly incompe- accidentally destroy something in the PhD students experience this. As part tent especially in the beginning). You lab, they might just be there to help of the PhD conference “ENCODS” – held need to be willing to receive advice and you. Having nice people around you, of this year in Marienlyst, Denmark – I par- criticism and build upon them, other- course, is not completely in your hands. ticipated in a workshop on self-manage- wise you will not move forward. For my However, keeping up a positive, helpful ment and motivation. part, the feeling of independennce and approach definitely helps a lot, no mat- ownership came when I was one year ter who you encounter on your way. Oh, the Struggle into my PhD. This came alongside the In the workshop, we discussed what feeling that I could actually figure out What to Get From It? being a PhD student entails on a day- things by myself. Now I keep up moti- Hitting rough patches during your PhD to-day basis. What surprised me was vation because my PhD eventually has is unavoidable, but possible to over- that more or less all of the features become my 'baby'. The final project will come. So why do we continue with it? contained many negative aspects. As a inevitably have my name on it, which Because eventually there are rewards matter of fact, this ended up being the means that I will make the most of it to be collected. Setting aside the tech- main focus of the workshop – how ex- despite all the obstacles. nical aspects of learning how to master tremely hard it is to do a PhD. While sit- a pipette or patch clamping, you get ting in this conference room, for what The Practical Stuff skills from a PhD that rarely can be ob- I thought would just be a 2-hour boost Moving on to more practical aspects... tained from any other type of work, and of motivation, it struck me how many Getting through a PhD requires that here personal development is a crucial of us struggle (sometimes a lot) in our you are structured and organized. If and very important aspect. PhDs. you are not such a person by default, Working long hours by yourself chal- lenges you to be indepen- dent and to solve problems at hand. You get comfort- able with making your own decisions and you eventually push your boundaries as to how much you can deal with. Working on several proj- ects makes you a master in multi-tasking, and on how to plan and keep an overview. Having to meet high expec- tations automatically takes your work to a higher level. The experiences you get during you PhD will, on a Source: “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham, www.phdcomics.com personal level, make you grow. So even though the workshop on “self-manage- It is fair to say that obtaining a PhD then you need to pull yourself togeth- ment and motivation” at times mainly is a special type of work and not at er. Having your own stringent way to felt like group therapy, at the end of all a walk in the park. It includes very keep track of your experiments seems the day we were all sitting there be- long working hours, frequently working like the most obvious thing when work- cause we wanted to improve our per- alone, and being forced to juggle sever- ing in the lab, but nevertheless things sonal skills. We know that obtaining a al projects simultaneously while meet- quickly become messy if you don’t keep PhD is challenging and this was indeed ing high expectations – all of this for a it tight – talking from experience here. confirmed when I was sitting in the con- rather small salary. So how to keep up Once things get messy, then everything ference room. But then again, nothing motivation? get unnecessarily complicated and extraordinary ever happens if you con- therefore overwhelming. This is a big stantly stay in your comfort zone, and Making the Project Your Own step towards losing that motivation. during your PhD you rarely do. So let's Quoting the teachers from the work- In addition, maintaining good social continue the work. shop, having incentive to continue your relationships with people in your group PhD requires that you feel that you are is crucial. As often happens with ev- in control of your project(s). You know erything in life, it is not what you know what to do and how to do it, and most but who you know. Make sure that the Henriette Edemann Callesen importantly you feel that you “own” the environment in the lab is fruitful and PhD Student, AG Winter

www.medical-neurosciences.de 20 FOCUS CNSNewsletter December 2016

PIs A re People, Just Like Me! Experiential Learning at an International Conference (ECTRIMS 2016) This conference report comes from Lon- out they were very don, U.K. after Brexit, where the Euro- personable and hu- pean Committee for Treatment and Re- man, like me. They search in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) were even mildly hosted their 32nd Congress and 21st interested in my re- Annual Conference of Rehabilitation in search! MS. With a 119-page long scientific pro- Thus, on top gram, this congress united 9392 dele- of what I learned gates from almost 100 countries around from the teaching the world, and it was easily the largest courses, seminars event I had ever attended. The congress and posters, I re- boasted scientists from all walks of life, alized that being from psychologists to computer scien- able to sell yourself tists, from physicists to physicians. and your ideas is It was incredibly nerve-racking to still an incredibly prepare a poster presentation for all valuable skill. Since of these big names in MS research. In- that conference, I stead of concentrating on the possibil- have been invited ity of embarrassing myself in front of to more group out- renowned scientists (including my own ings, meetings with PI), I decided to focus on the network- visiting PIs, and ing opportunities available to me. This been trusted to li- Source: Claudia Chien http://bit.ly/2f7RfTv turned out to be a great strategy since aise with more ex- all of a sudden, I was surrounded by the ternal collaborators than before. In the end, I would definitely take a same people whom I had emailed sev- A special thanks to the other Med- chance to submit abstracts to large con- eral times with questions about their Neuro PhDs for listening to my poster ferences again, even if it is just for the research and/or for help previously, presentation during the retreat! It re- networking! but got little or no reply. After speak- ally helped me gain insight into my ing to these same PIs about my area(s) strengths and weaknesses, and to Claudia Chien of research and background, I found apply this practice in the real world. PhD Student, AG Paul

Thoughts About Digital Networking Let’s be honest. We know that many presence on specific online networking need of a new education system that suitable jobs will never be visible to us. platforms. Sadly, though, if your online puts emphasis not only on technical This is because most openings are given self-promotion isn't all that impressive, skills, but also on how to use digital away behind closed doors. Being pain- you'll likely get passed over by poten- self-promotion? But do we really want fully aware of this habit, we are trying tial employers. We are in danger of di- a job market that favors those who are to build a large professional network to viding the job market in two parts. On the best at showcasing and 'embroider- access these precious, hidden pieces of one hand, there are people who know ing' work experience? information about potential jobs. how to use the internet for self-promo- Unfortunately, we as students and A quick glance around you will be tion and engage in networking. On the job-seekers are not in the position to enough to realize that fewer and fewer other hand, there are people who never change the way jobs are given. We are people are in tenured positions that learned this skill, have underwhelming told how important self-promotion and provide appropriate social insurance. profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Xing or networking is, therefore we adapt. What Instead, most of us have to jump from other platforms, or do not want to have could we possibly do to change the situ- project to project to make a living. This their CV exposed on the internet. Even ation? Let us know your thoughts, and means that we are constantly on our if they work equally hard, or do their we will publish a follow-up in a future is- toes, looking for the next short-term jobs better than their networking-gifted sue of the newsletter. project, contract, or stipend to keep us peers, they will still have a disadvan- afloat. On a side note, we scientists are tage on the job market. And my critique not alone in this – it is a phenomenon doesn’t stop here. On these online self- seen in many different fields such as promotion platforms some profiles may graphic design, child care or construc- look fantastic, but in reality one month tion work, to name a few. internships are blown up as 'work ex- perience' and made-up titles such as Crafting An Online Personality 'Lecturer' are self-awarded after having In our digital world, it has become in- given a single seminar. Claudia Willmes creasingly important to show one's What is the consequence? Are we in PhD Student AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences Brain in Press & Open Positions 21

The 133-million-year-old Brain Pain Passed on by Smell Bacteria-infected Mosquitoes Fight Zika In 2004 in East Sussex, England, Mice housed in the same room an amateur fossil hunter found as one another can pass cer- Wolbachia bacteria can infect what we now know as the first tain types of pain to each other insects, reduce the fertility of fossilized dinosaur brain. Just through smell. It was recently their hosts and influence the sex recently, it became clear that discovered that exposure to in- of offspring. They can also block the fossil is in fact part of the flammatory molecules or with- viruses from reproducing in in- brain of a massive herbivorous drawal from drugs or alcohol can fected fruit flies and mosquitoes. dinosaur. Researchers from cause hyperalgesia, a painful hy- To hinder the insects' ability to Britain and Australia performed persensitivity to touch, heat or transmit the Zika virus, infected forensic examinations using a chemical irritants. Researchers mosquito larvae will be widely scanning electron microscope from Portland, USA found that released in Rio de Janeiro, Bra- and discovered that the fossil when mice were subjected to zil, and Medellín, Colombia, over contained tissue from the cortex, these pain-inducing treatments, the next two years, scientists an- the meninges, and blood vessels. untreated mice in the same nounced on 26 October. Small room also acquired hyperalge- numbers of Wolbachia-infected (Brasier et al, 2016 Geological sia. Moreover, mice in a separate mosquitoes have already been Society of London.) room began displaying this pain released in both these cities. But sensitivity after exposure to large biomedical funders have bedding used by the hyperalge- just announced US$18 million sic animals in the first room. The for a massive scale-up of these authors conclude that pain can efforts. be transmitted by an olfactory cue. (Ewen Callaway, 2016, Nature)

(Smith et al, 2016, Science Advances)

Claudia Willmes PhD Student AG Eickholt/Schmitz

Open Positions for Master's Students in Neuroscience Research in Berlin Type: Lab rotation/master's thesis - with the possibility to transit into a PhD

Project title: Preclinical investigation of the neurobiological and behavioral aspects of repetitive disorders with the aim to improve treatment of these disorders. Techniques may include; behavioral testing, stereotactic surgery, HPLC and qPCR.

Field of research: Repetitive disorders and possible new treatment strategies

Starting date: January 2017 onwards

Research group: Experimental Psychiatry, AG Professor Christine Winter

Contact: Henriette Callesen: [email protected]

www.medical-neurosciences.de 22 CAREER DEVELOPMENT CNSNewsletter December 2016

Keeping an Eye on Future Job Prospects

INTRO Starting this issue of our beloved newsletter, we have rial team shares her thoughts on why there is more to teamed up with the Erasmus+ program in Neuroscienc- a PhD than research, and what are the choices open to es (Neurasmus) to bring you a new regular section fo- PhDs beyond academia or industry, on page 24. cused on careers and employability. What makes a Eu- ropean education special? How does it help graduates In the coming issues, we will interview professionals find attractive jobs? What additional skills do you need with influential and inspiring as well as diverse careers. to transition successfully to the job market? How will We will also offer perspectives on facilitating the tran- the educational agenda of programs such as Erasmus+ sition between study and employment. All of this with change in the future, and how will students benefit? contributions not only from our team here in Berlin, but also from our Neurasmus partner universities in In this edition, we start by giving you a glimpse of ca- Europe. reers beyond an MSc or a PhD in Neurosciences. We will share the profiles of some of the people who at - If you have any suggestions on topics you would like us tended this year’s successful MedNeuro Alumni event to discuss in the Employability Section, please contact (see below). From data handling to innovation consult- us at: [email protected] ing, their career paths are highly diverse, and we hope their stories will inspire those of you making that ex - citing-but-sometimes-intimidating leap from education We hope you enjoy it! to employment. Mariana Cerdeira from the CNS edito-

"Times are changing, positions in our "comfort zone" of academia are decreasing, and the global trend is towards entrepreneurship and self-employment. In this climate, we want to help you make the best of your talents and your strengths. First and foremost, we want to encourage you to start planning early."

Agnès Nadjar, Coordinator of the Neurasmus Consortium

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Steffen Schulz ALUMNI Job position: Drug Safety Manager at Berlin-Chemie AG.

What he does: Processes data that he gets from patients and healthcare professionals to assess the risk of drugs that are already on the market.

How he got the job: Talked to people from the company at a job fair and later saw a job ad on their website and applied / Started application 2-3 months before submitting his PhD thesis.

Requirements: As a non-physician and non-pharmacist, a PhD was required for the job / Started straight after his PhD / His job's working languages are German and English, but the company also has an international department for drug safety that works in English.

Career progression: First started as a trainee on a 2-year contract, then got a permanent contract: first as junior em- ployee, and then manager (after 4 years at the company).

Work-life balance: Berlin-Chemie is family-friendly / He works 40 hours per week / Has to clock-in and out every day / They even check to make sure you’re not overworking.

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences CAREER DEVELOPMENT 23

Caroline Szymanski ALUMNI Job position: Freelance Innovation Consultant and PhD student.

What she does: Offers workshops and consulting on innovation and design thinking, while finishing her PhD in parallel.

Career path: After her master’s, went to the School of Design Thinking in Potsdam and worked at an innovation agency / Started PhD, became even more interested in design thinking and changed her PhD topic / Paused for a year before continuing with her current topic.

Coordination with PhD: She works with EEG, so she has a flexible schedule that allows her to teach design thinking once a week during her PhD / Now she is writing her thesis and can coordinate it better with her freelance work.

Her clients: Mostly come to her by word-of.mouth and through personal connections / One example of client: coaching a workshop for the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies to increase collaboration in science

Downside: Her PhD took longer than usual, but she did what she wanted to do in parallel.

Léonard Ruedin

Job position: Data Strategist at idalab GmbH (data science agency in Berlin) since the end of 2015.

What he does: Data analysis – not only scientific, but with a focus on mobility, biotech- nology and the public sector / Also project and product management, and business de- velopment.

Career path: After his MedNeuro master’s, he worked in a life sciences consulting company, and then decided to spe- cialize in data analytics.

Tasks: Works together with his data scientist colleagues to solve business problems with meaningful data analyses / He is the point of contact between the client and the team (mathematicians and computer scientists) / He is also a product owner and carries out the translation of proofs of concept into software solutions

Amanda Snead

Job position: Works at a startup in New York (since January 2016).

What she does: Writes content for marketing initiatives by looking through current cog- nitive neuroscience research news.

Requirements: Needed a Neuroscience background / Didn’t have previous marketing experience – learned on-the-job.

How she got the job: Found the job online at Glassdoor, applied for it, didn’t get a response, saw the ad again, applied once more, and then got a call back (so don’t be demotivated if you haven’t had a reply – maybe your application just got lost) / Took a month of phone calls, then had to do a writing sample for them.

Why she didn’t start a PhD: Wanted some time away from science before committing to an academic project / Is still considering doing a PhD.

Advice: Ask questions about the specifics of the job / If the leader of the company is very vague about the job descrip- tion, or if they can’t explain it well, they may be lacking in strategic vision for the company.

www.medical-neurosciences.de 24 CAREER DEVELOPMENT CNSNewsletter December 2016

About Careers You Need to Stop Believing

OPINION OPINION 7 MYTHS The world of academia has a set of unspoken maceutical companies. But there are several other institu- rules and habits that are historically so intrinsic tions and job positions that don’t fall into either of these to the system that many times go unnoticed or categories. For example: business consultancy, public policy, uncontested. Some of them might have served a patent protection, science journalism, public health, clinical purpose in the past, but are now outdated. Being practice, scientific journal editing, program management – a PhD student myself, and having been inside the to name a few. Once you start searching, you realize there ‘academic bubble’ for over seven years now, I've are many interesting options out there. I went from thinking gathered seven very common and widely spread “What will I possibly do if I don’t stay in academia?” to “How beliefs which, I dare to say, are not exactly true. will I possibly narrow down my options to only one?”. A more suitable way to classify career opportunities for Non-academic careers are “alternative” careers. PhDs would be: a) academic careers; b) science-related Very often, careers outside science, or even science- non-academic careers; c) careers outside science; and d) 1related but not in research, are referred to as alternative clinical practice. careers. ‘Alternative’ implies exception to the rule. But several survey reports from different countries, including If you leave academia, you're a traitor. the one below by the UK’s Royal Society, have shown that You may find this an exaggeration, but believe me – only a tiny percentage of PhDs actually stay in academia, 3there are quite a few people who think like this. Their ar- while the vast majority pursue other jobs. gument is that your alma mater spends a lot of money So, in reality, academia is the alternative career path and effort training you, and the least you could do in re- for PhDs. turn is to remain a scientist. Guilt is a feeling many PhD students have – even when There are two options: either academia or industry. we go on a short vacation break or leave the lab before This simplistic, binary classification of the career pos- 6 pm – and we need to learn to free ourselves from it. We 2sibilities for PhDs is, unfortunately, very frequently used. In should definitely be forever grateful for all the opportuni- the life sciences, the term ‘industry’ usually refers to phar- ties our universities give us, and be proud alumni. But we

Source: The Royal Society, ‘The Scientific Century: securing our future prosperity’, 2010.

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences CAREER DEVELOPMENT 25

shouldn’t feel like we’re betraying anyone or turning our back on science if we opt for a non-academic career. Be- sides, there are not enough academic positions to accom- modate all graduates anyway. It’s OK to go to graduate school even if you don’t want to be a researcher forever. And wanting to leave academia does not mean you’re not a hard-working, committed PhD student.

If you're leaving academia, it must mean you were not good enough to make 4it in academia. Once, at the beginning of my PhD, a professor asked me what my plans for after I graduated were. I said I was not sure yet, but I knew I would not stay in academia. He then went on trying to cheer me up: “But you never know how your PhD project is going to turn out… Maybe you'll have great results and be able to get a faculty position one day”. So I explained further: “You don't understand… Source: Pixabay, http://bit.ly/2fOAygP I don't want to stay in academia.” It's true that permanent positions in academia are ex- You’re a PhD student and should act like one. tremely scarce and highly competitive, and only a handful In many countries, a PhD isn’t officially considered a of very competent people get them. And that many scien- 7job, even though it looks and feels like one. Although you tists whose first choice was actually to stay in academia usually already hold two degrees, you're still enrolled in are forced to find a job elsewhere. But there is also a num- a university and are technically still a student. This ends ber of people who simply prefer certain non-academic ca- up making PhD students feel that they’re not real profes- reers. Many academics are still shocked by the idea that sionals. not everyone in grad school has the dream of running When a PhD colleague shows up for a seminar or a net- their own lab. working event a bit more dressed up than usual, it even feels weird to see him or her in this ‘work attire’. Once, Which brings us to the next myth... in a soft skills workshop I attended, the coach suggested that we always take our business cards with us to confer- It only makes sense to do a PhD if you want to ences. A few people were shocked: “What, we? Having pursue a career in academia. business cards? But we’re mere PhD students…”. But if This5 one is a CLASSIC. Most likely every PhD student who you think about it – why not? It actually makes a lot of has decided not to stay in academia, or wants to work as sense. The only reason why it feels odd is because it’s not a physician, has already heard this question: “Then why common – but if you would like to do it, you shouldn’t feel do a PhD?”. restrained by the fear of being unconventional. Truth is, the time when a PhD program’s only purpose Whether you want to stay in academia or not, a PhD is was to produce university researchers is long gone. A doc- always a temporary position and we’ll soon have to figure torate is an enriching experience that makes one develop out our next move. So we might as well start portraying countless transferable skills that are valuable in different ourselves as the professionals we are. If we don't promote areas. These include critical thinking, analytical skills, the ourselves, who will? ability to work independently, problem-solving, time man- agement, resilience, and so many others. It is a long-term professional investment. But it’s definitely not easy. Doing These 7 misconceptions are very frequently con- (or not doing) a PhD is a very personal decision and many veyed in academia and need to be pondered factors should be considered. But if you decide to go for it, upon. Fortunately, a few graduate programs and your reasons should make sense to YOU. institutions are starting to realize the need to tackle these issues and are slowly giving more A PhD degree is always an advantage over a master's. focus to the theme of ‘careers’. As to us, we Having a PhD title is no guarantee of getting a better should do what scientists do best and question 6job in the future. It won’t harm, but it won’t necessarily everything – including the mindset that surrounds help either. Some employers value a longer ‘real work ex- us daily. perience’ over a PhD degree, and many people succeed in landing good jobs straight out of their bachelor’s or mas- Do you have any other myths to add to the list? ter’s. The same applies to a post-doc compared to a PhD. Each person should draw their own line. Mine, for ex- ample, is between a PhD and a post-doc: I believe a PhD is beneficial for many purposes, but I wouldn’t do a post-doc unless I was pursuing a career in academia. Each person's path is different and unique, and each one should decide Mariana Cerdeira how to invest their time and effort the way they judge best. PhD Student, AG Harms

www.medical-neurosciences.de 26 Obituary CNSNewsletter December 2016

In memoriam: Prof. Dr. Uwe Heinemann

On behalf of the CNS newsletter, and before we close out To summarize, we at the Newsletter (and in the Medi- this issue, we would like to say a few words about Prof. cal Neurosciences program in general) owe a large debt Dr. Uwe Heinemann, who passed away this September. to Prof. Heinemann. He truly was one of the creators of Though the timing of this sad event was mere coinci- Berlin’s current vibrant neuroscience community, and an dence with this issue’s theme, it is still somehow fitting. inspiration to all he encountered. We will certainly miss On the one hand, we can reflect on how Prof. Heine- him, but that will not prevent us from considering all of mann’s passing will affect the neuroscience community the future neuroscience he has made possible by his in Berlin. On the other, however, he was responsible for hard work, passion, and curiosity. We are much indebted the birth of dozens of neuroscience careers, and even to you, Prof. Heinemann and will never forget you! our own program. To finish off, we would like to hear a few words from As you may recall from our last issue, “Happy Anni- the great man himself. Here is an excerpt of Clau- versary, MedNeuro!”, Prof. Heinemann was instrumen- dia Willmes’ interview in our last issue. Truly words to tal in founding the Medical Neurosciences program in live by! Berlin. Amidst the work of reorganizing Charité’s medi- cal and dental curricula to conform with West German UH: “What is a good scientist?” I was once asked by one standards, he managed to draw together the academic, of my teachers. So I said: a good scientist has to know bureaucratic, and political will to found one of the first his heart, have reliable data, and he or she must follow international PhD and MD/PhD programs for neurosci- a more or less original question. My supervisor then said ence in Germany. “yes, this is a good postdoc, but what is a good scientist?” While developing, coordinating, and chairing dozens So here is what we came up with: a good scientist is a of collaborative funding projects, Prof. Heinemann still person who contributes to the development of his or her managed to perform ground-breaking neuroscience re- field, who has respect for what others do, and is coura- search. In total, this amounted to more than 300 publi- geous – all in addition to the properties of a good post- cations. Though perhaps best known (and awarded for) doc. […] But most importantly, know what you want to his work on temporal lobe epilepsy, he also made sig- find out and be courageous. There were so many times nificant contributions to the study of neuron-astrocyte during my career when people told me "this will not interactions, mnemonic memory processes, and neuro- work", but we tried it, and it did. When you accomplish pharmacology. At a symposium in honor of Prof. Heine- this, your career is made!” mann’s 70th birthday a short time ago, Michael Brecht told an amusing story about branching out to new re- search fields, and being foiled… by his own mentor. “Ev- erywhere I wanted to go,” he laughed, “Uwe had already been there!”. On a personal level, Prof. Heinemann also supervised Ahmed Khalil and Constance Holman dozens of PhD students and postdocs to whom he was a Editors-in-Chief constant source of inspi- ration and support. And as a telling update, many have gone on to become stalwarts of the German neuroscience commu- nity in their own right (e.g. Dietmar Schmitz, Andreas Draguhn, etc.). His unending energy and curiosity spilled over be- yond the lab as well. In fact, Prof. Heinemann was a founding member and Chair of the Neuro- science Research Center, as well as a co-director of NeuroCure. Despite all of this work, Prof. Heine- mann still found time to exercise his talents in the classroom: almost all students of Medical Neurosciences probably have fond memories of Prof. Heinemann’s lec- tures. Source: Uwe Heinemann

2016 International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences News in Brief & Imprint 27

Master’s Graduation 2016 As in 2015, the graduation Upcoming Events ceremony of the 2016 mas- ter’s students took place at December the Festsaal of the Hum- 30.11. BSRT Regeneration Symposium boldt Gradute School. The — 2.12. spacious and impressive room was filled with excitement from 2 Mind and Brain and CCO Christmas Party the very beginning. The master’s 8 — 10 Opening Symposium of the Einstein Center for thesis presentations kick-started the ceremony. Equally Neuroscience exciting were the poster presentations, which were well received as an interested crowd gathered around them. January Each oral and poster presentation was a masterpiece, with experts asking deep, thoughtful questions about the proj- 12 — 13 Mind and Brain Workshop on Social Anxiety ects. None of the presentations lacked any enthusiasm and, 17 — 19 Berlin Fashion Week more importantly, they made us proud. We congratulate each of the graduates and wish them all the best for their February future careers! 9 — 19 Berlinale International Film Festival Junior Master’s Students Transitioning from (mostly) a Bachelor’s degree, 21 new 20 — 24 Winter School Ethics and Neuroscience Master students from around the world joined our Wel- come Week this year. As usual, the week started with per- March sonal introductions that served as icebreakers before the 5 — 8 Keystone Symposia on Synapses and Circuits, enrollment process. One of the highlights was the guided New Mexico tour for the newcomers through campus Charité Mitte by (http://www.keystone the seniors. Special thanks to Carolina and Victoria, the two symposia.org/index.cfm? senior students who took over this responsibility. Yet anoth- e=Web.Meeting.Flyer& er event was the tour around the center of Berlin, covering MeetingID=1485) the history of the city during the Cold War, with our guide Sam Noble. With his British charm and humor, he led the 13 — 17 Brain Awareness Week students through Germany’s darkest history on a chilly day 22 — 25 Göttingen Meeting in an easily digestible way. of the German Neuro science Einstein PhD Fellowships Society The Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin (ECN) calls for applications for its PhD program starting in Fall 2017. The 29.03. Int’l Conference on ECN member institutions promote cutting-edge neurosci- — 2.04. Alzheimer’s and entific research across a wide range of different disciplines Parkinson’s Diseases and approaches. The ECN provides an umbrella structure that specifically fosters interdisciplinary and collaborative research by facilitating cooperation between institutions Imprint and by promoting interaction on all levels. With around 100 internationally recognized research groups, the ECN offers Charité NeuroScience (CNS) Newsletter outstanding interdisciplinary training and research oppor- Correspondence tunities for national and international scientists, with re- Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin search spanning from synapse to behavior, molecule to dis- International Graduate Program Medical ease, and brain to mind. Neurosciences, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin Closing date for applications is January 15th, 2017. [email protected], Final interviews will take place in March 2017. t: +49 30 20 93-45 85 ecn-berlin.de/education/phd-fellowships.html f: +49 30 20 93-45 90

Call for Master’s Applications Contact: The Medical Neurosciences Program invites bright and in- [email protected] terested students to apply for our program. We await for your application starting in December. Ideally, candidates Editors-in-Chief should already have some laboratory work experience, hav- Ahmed Khalil ing worked in a lab for a Bachelor’s project for example, or Constance Holman other types of work experience, e.g. a residency as a medi- cal doctor in a hospital, or similar. Editors The program’s rigorous and comprehensively structured Apoorva Rajiv Madipakkam education in basic neuroscience provides and trains you to Helge Hasselmann approach questions concerning the central and peripheral Mariana Cerdeira nervous system. Besides the in-depth theoretical training, James Kerr our program emphasizes state-of-the art practical lab expe- rience, preparing graduates for continued research as PhD Cover and Design students. Design and Illustration: Judith Traudes Closing date for applications is January 15th, 2017. Design: Viktoria Stoiser www.medical-neurosciences.de/en/apply-now Cover: Betty Jurek

www.medical-neurosciences.de First steps in a new world of health, insurance and more. New people, a new language, a new culture and new tasks – in your first days and weeks in Germany you’ll be bombarded by a lot of new impressions. We are the health insurance fund which is there to help you as you start your new life in Germany. For questions about German health insurance get in touch with us on: Lutz Matuschke [email protected] Tel. 030 - 400 44-86 60

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