Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry
Research Priority Areas

• Neuroscience (Neuroscience)
• Investigating the pathophysiological basis and potential treatment targets of common neuropsychiatric diseases affecting public health on experimental models with advanced technological methods

Sub Study Subjects:

• Pericyte biology and pathology, blood-brain barrier, neurovascular unit, cerebral metabolism and oxygenation, origins of capillary dysfunction, determination of pharmacological approaches to improve capillary function, cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion
• Ischaemic stroke, retinal ischaemia, brain targeted drug delivery systems, migraine, neuroprotection, neuroinflammation
• Experimental migraine models, follow-up with electrophysiological recording
• In vivo cranial window applications with multiphoton microscopy
• Animal models of depression and anxiety disorders, effects of stress on the brain, neuroinflammation, neuroimmune interactions, biomarkers, new treatment targets
• Procurement and housing of transgenic mice to be used with optogenetic stimulation method in different neuroscience experiments
• Experimental research on rodent models of hypo- and hyperkinetic-movement disorders (parkinsonism, dystonia, chorea, drug-induced dyskinesias, stereotypies) and associated neuropsychiatric disorders (cognitive disorders, depression, OCD, ADHD) targeting unmet diagnostic and treatment needs.

Keywords
Experimental stroke models, Ischaemia, stroke, neurovascular unit, pericyte, blood brain barrier, blood retinal barrier, microcirculation, capillary, oxygenation, experimental migraine models, cortical spreading depolarisation, neuroinflammation, inflammasome, depression, anxiety, stress, optogenetics, transgenic mice expressing Cre in targeted neurons, neurodegeneration, Parkinson's disease, dystonia, levodopa-associated dyskinesia, cognitive impairment, rare neurological diseases.

Importance and Rationale
Neuroscience (Neuroscience) is a field that serves as a bridge between clinical and basic sciences and enables multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work. It contributes to our understanding of the human brain and nervous system, the most complex tissue, and the fine-tuning of billions of cells and vessels. Diseases of the central nervous system affect 1.5 billion people worldwide, most of whom do not yet have effective treatments. In this context, it is important to understand the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases caused by macro- and micro-level disorders in the nervous system and to understand the prevention and/or development of unmet treatment opportunities.