Paul J Lucassen

This PhD project focuses on how glutamatergic synapses and their receptor composition may be modified to reduce age-related cognitive decline and improve resilience to Alzheimer’s disease pathology. The work combines molecular approaches and behavioral interventions to investigate memory deficits linked to amyloid beta and to study how synaptic changes may influence learning, memory, and disease vulnerability. The position is based in the Memory and Plasticity team of Dr. Harm Krugers at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam. It is a collaborative project with the Cellular and Circuit Neuroscience group of Prof. dr. Helmut Kessels and the Brain Plasticity group of Prof. dr. Paul J. Lucassen. The candidate will work across these complementary research environments, benefiting from expertise that spans behavioral neuroscience, electrophysiology, chemogenetics, and related neurobiological methods. The project investigates synapses and engram cell ensembles in a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease. The student will use viral technologies to identify and measure synaptic properties and explore how these mechanisms contribute to memory. Techniques mentioned include electrophysiology, proteomics, dendrite and spine reconstructions, chemogenetics, and memory engram-specific interventions. The research environment is embedded in the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam and the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences at Amsterdam Science Park, bringing together interdisciplinary neuroscience teams and a strong life-science research setting.