The research of my group, funded by the SNSF Ambizione Grant, is dedicated to understanding the role of glial cells in the pathophysiological processes underlying major psychiatric disorders. We hereby aim to understand how astrocytes contribute to the structural and functional maturation of the prefrontal cortex – a brain region strongly implicated in psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. Further, we assess how prefrontal astrocytes actively contribute to prefrontal signaling and thereby modulate behavioral and cognitive functions with relevance to these disorders. To this end, we use a multi-disciplinary approach including chemogenetics, in-vivo two-photon imaging, behavioral analyses and immunohistochemistry.
