The Board of Directors of the Einstein Foundation Berlin has approved new funding totalling 9.6 million euros for Berlin's scientific institutions. Six million euros will be used over six years to set up the new Einstein Centre Youth Mental Health, which is dedicated to serious mental illness in young people. Here, seven Berlin institutions will jointly research how mental illnesses in twelve to 25-year-olds can be recognised earlier, better understood and treated more effectively. Isabel Dziobek is also involved in the new Einstein Centre. She is Professor of Clinical Psychology of Social Interaction at the Department of Psychology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). In addition, a research project by Matthew Larkum, Professor of Neuronal Plasticity at the Department of Biology at HU, and a visiting scholar in his research group will also be funded. Christoph Sorg from the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität will receive a postdoctoral grant to research alternative forms of economic planning.
Einstein Centre:Help for young people with mental illnesses
Even after decades of research, mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and borderline personality disorder are difficult to treat and represent a challenge for both individuals and society. The actual causes of the illnesses are mostly unclear and access to treatment is often inadequate. The first symptoms of the aforementioned disorders are already apparent in twelve to 25-year-olds and thus in a phase in which their social, educational and appointment development is being decided. The new Einstein Centre for Youth Mental Health (ECYM) aims both to research the conditions for better care and to break new ground in the early detection of mental illness. Here, seven Berlin institutions - Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität, Vivantes, Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt - will jointly research how mental illnesses in this age group can be recognised earlier, better understood and treated more effectively. In a large study, around 950 young people - with and without an increased risk - will be scientifically monitored over four years. Modern brain imaging, digital surveys and AI-supported analyses will help to identify risk factors and early warning signs. In addition, new therapies and care models are being developed and trialled. Young people with personal experience of mental illness are actively involved in the research.
The role of the midbrain in orientation and decision-making
Matthew Larkum and Ariel Gilad, Assistant Professor of Medical Neurobiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI)will conduct joint research into the neuronal mechanisms of the brain that control navigation and goal-oriented behaviour in everyday life. A central task of the brain is to enable living beings to orientate themselves flexibly in their environment. Navigation means making decisions about when, how, where or whether to move - and requires an idea of one's own position in the environment. Although it is known that different areas of the brain work together in this process, the role of a specific area in the midbrain - the so-called superior colliculus - has hardly been researched to date. The Larkum and Gilad team is now investigating the hypothesis that it is precisely this feedback that is crucial for the selection and prediction of movements. The project builds on the concept of circular feedback loops in the brain developed in Berlin, which goes back to the work of Livia de Hoz (Charité).
Einstein Postdoctoral Grant
With the Heterodox Planning project, Christoph Sorg, research associate at HU Berlin, wants to explore alternative forms of economic planningin order to develop more participatory, socially inclusive and sustainable approaches. Especially in times of crisis, when trust in supposedly planning-free markets is eroding, such approaches are of growing interest. The focus is on two examples: Community Wealth Building, where local communities are economically empowered, and "platform co-operatives" as democratic alternatives to traditional platform companies. Both case studies examine who plans what is planned, how co-determination works, how centralised control and local self-administration interact and which strategies for social change are developed.
Einstein Visiting Fellow
Sleep has long been considered crucial for memory formation. But current research shows: The brain can also process and permanently store new information when awake, but in a different way. Lucy Palmer, Professor at Australia's Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, will investigate how our brain consolidates memories - during sleep and when we are awake. The focus will be on how the neuronal mechanisms of memory consolidation differ between sleep and wakefulness and whether the hippocampus even plays opposing roles depending on the state. In cooperation with the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence and her host Professor Matthew Larkum, Palmer wants to investigate how these two states interact and how new memories are embedded in existing knowledge. In vivo imaging and optogenetic methods will be used to measure and specifically influence brain activity in animal models. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how the brain deals flexibly with new information. The findings should also help to develop new approaches for the treatment of memory disorders such as Alzheimer's or post-traumatic stress disorder - for example through the targeted promotion or correction of memory processes.
Einstein Foundation
The Einstein Foundation Berlin is a non-profit, independent and science-led organisation that was established in 2009 as a foundation under civil law. It promotes science and research across disciplines and institutions in and for Berlin at the highest international level. Around 240 scientists - including three Nobel Prize winners -, over 70 projects and eight Einstein Centres have been funded to date.