FORTH hosted the European Researcher’s Night in Crete, where lots of people had the opportunity to take a guided tour of FORTH and discover the exciting world of science and research, as well as, to participate in interactive experiments, research games, and other activities. Our goal was to inspire the audience with the fascinating […]
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Our team has been awarded the prestigious H.F.R.I. – SNF grant “Always strive for excellence – Theodoros Papazoglou”!
Dr. Yiota Poirazi’s research group at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of FORTH has been awarded a prestigious grant co-funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.). The grant is part of the 5th Call of the “Science and Society” Action “Always strive for excellence […]
Congratulations to Dr. Yiota Poirazi on becoming FENS Secretary General!
We’re excited to congratulate our PI, Dr. Yiota Poirazi, on becoming Secretary General of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies! We’re incredibly proud of her achievement and look forward to her continued success. Find out more about the new FENS leadership: https://www.fens.org/news-activities/news/fens-new-leadership-announcement-2
Συνέντευξη με τη Δρ. Ποϊραζη στο Cretalive: Εξερεύνηση του ανθρώπινου εγκεφάλου και οι προκλήσεις της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης
Η Δρ. Ποϊράζη με αφορμή την επερχόμενη ομιλία της στο Athens Science Festival την Κυριακή 21 Απριλίου 2024 με τίτλο «Βιολογική εναντίον Τεχνητής Νοημοσύνης», μιλάει στο Cretalive και στην Κατερίνα Μυλωνά για την πρόοδο και τις προκλήσεις στην εξερεύνηση του ανθρώπινου εγκεφάλου, καθώς και τον ρόλο της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης σε αυτό το πεδίο. Επιπλέον, επισημαίνει […]
Η Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη, Οι Ενεργειακές Προκλήσεις και Η Εμπνευσμένη Λύση από τη Βιολογία του Εγκεφάλου: Συνέντευξη με τη Δρ. Παναγιώτα Ποϊράζη στο DNEWS
Η ερευνήτρια Δρ. Παναγιώτα Ποϊράζη επισημαίνει την ενεργειακή αποδοτικότητα του ανθρώπινου εγκεφάλου, ο οποίος επεξεργάζεται πληροφορίες σε μαζική κλίμακα με ελάχιστη κατανάλωση ενέργειας. Αναφέρει την προοπτική της ανάπτυξης τεχνητής νοημοσύνης εμπνευσμένης από τον εγκέφαλο, η οποία θα μπορούσε να ανταποκριθεί στις ανάγκες της εποχής με ελάχιστες ενεργειακές επιβαρύνσεις για το περιβάλλον. Η Δρ. Ποϊράζη συζητάει για […]
Η Δρ. Παναγιώτα Ποϊράζη μιλάει στο podcast της Καθημερινής “Γυναίκες & Επιστήμη”!
Παρακολουθήστε το νέο podcast της Καθημερινής “Γυναίκες & Επιστήμη” αυτή τη φορά για τα μυστήρια του εγκεφάλου! Η Δρ. Παναγιώτα Ποϊράζη, εξερευνά τη σχέση μεταξύ εγκεφάλου και τεχνητής νοημοσύνης, και μας εμπνέει να ανακαλύψουμε περισσότερα για τον σύνθετο κόσμο του εγκεφάλου. Παρακολουθήστε ολόκληρο το επεισόδιο εδώ.
Dr. Panayiota Poirazi will give a talk entitled “Decoding the mysteries of biological and artificial intelligence” at Athens Science Festival 2024!
What are the differences and similarities between biological and artificial neural networks? Who would be the winner in a “biological versus artificial intelligence” battle? Dr. Panayiota Poirazi will guide us in a fascinating exploration of the wonderful world of the brain – both biological and artificial – through her talk entitled “Decoding the mysteries of […]
A Brain Awareness Week event: Brain and Artificial Inteligence, 26.03.2024 at Heraklion!
Come and join us in the upcoming event of Brain Awareness Week, on 26.03.2024, about Brain and Artificial Intelligence: A Fascinating Dynamic Interplay, organized by the Hellenic Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Panayiota Poirazi will be speaking about Unraveling the Brain-AI Dichotomy. For more details about the event check the files below: Event Poster Αφίσα Εκδήλωσης […]
Brain Inspired: Dr. Poirazi: AI Brains Need Dendrites
In this podcast with Paul Middlebrooks on BrainIspired, Dr. Poirazi discusses why AI needs dendrites. Find out more in BI 167 Panayiota Poirazi: AI Brains Need Dendrites.
Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Ioanna Pandi for receiving an ALBA travel award to attend the FENS Forum 2024!
We are thrilled to share the exciting news that Ioanna Pandi a highly talented Ph.D. candidate in our lab, recently received an ALBA travel award to attend the FENS Forum 2024, taking place on 25-29 June in Vienna, Austria. ALBA travel award is supported by the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation (CHS). We also appreciate ALBA’s […]
Modeling apical and basal tree contribution to orientation selectivity in a mouse primary visual cortex layer 2/3 pyramidal cell
Our latest work on orientation selectivity in mouse L2/3 V1 pyramidal neurons is now published in eLife! If you are curious to see our findings on how the apical and basal dendritic trees interact, and how orientation tuning emerges, follow this link.
Check out our recent review article on the role of dendrites in brain efficiency!
We are excited to share our latest review, Dendrites and Efficiency: Optimizing Performance and Resource Utilization, which has been published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology. In this review, PhD candidates Roman Makarov and Michalis Pagkalos, together with Dr. Panayiota Poirazi, explore the growing body of recent experimental and theoretical works that highlight the crucial role […]
Congratulations to Ph.D. candidates Ioanna Pandi and Roman Makarov for receiving travel grants for the 30th Meeting of the HSfN!
We are overjoyed to congratulate two of the Ph.D. candidates in our lab for receiving travel grants for the 30th Meeting of the Hellenic Society for Neuroscience at the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in Athens. Both of them have been accepted to present their work in two different posters. Learn more about this […]
Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Ioanna Pandi for receiving a travel grant to attend The Brain Conference: Structuring Knowledge for Flexible Behaviour!
We are excited and proud to announce that Ioanna Pandi a very talented Ph.D. candidate in our lab, recently received one of the 11 travel grants for international students for The Brain Conference: Structuring Knowledge for Flexible Behaviour organized by FENS in Rungsted Kyst, Denmark. She was also selected to give a talk and present […]
Congratulations to Dr. Panayiota Poirazi for her election as an honorary member of the Biological Society of Cyprus (B. S. C.)!
The Biological Society of Cyprus organized a special event in June 2023 entitled: Awards of Excellence in Biology 2023. We congratulate Dr. Poirazi for being declared an honorary member of the Biological Society of Cyprus, alongside Dr. Patrikios, Dr. Koumenis, Dr. Drosatos, and Dr. Trifilli.
Dendrify: a new framework for adding dendrites to spiking neural networks
Deciphering the secrets of the brain is considered to be one of the most important scientific endeavours of the 21st century. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying brain function will contribute both to research into the treatment of neurological diseases and to the field of Artificial Intelligence, which has become an integral part of […]
Long-range cortical inputs drive local dendritic spikes in hippocampal pyramidal neurons
We are excited to share our latest study in collaboration with the lab of Jayeeta Basu at NYU. In this work we joined forces to study how the brain conveys important environmental cues like novelty and reward. Using dendritic electrophysiology, optogenetics and computational modeling we uncovered a disinhibitory microcircuit that gates dendritic spikes in CA1 pyramidal neurons […]
Supporting Mediterranean women in science
With the aim of giving a current image of Mediterranean science, the Seneca Foundation – Science and Technology Agency of the Region of Murcia offers the public its third exhibition on women scientists, this time as part of the European project MEDNIGHT – Mediterranean Researchers’ Night. It is a collection of short biographies with new, […]
Congratulations to Dr. Poirazi for her election as Secretary General of the Federation for European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)!
The recent FENS forum of 2022 saw a “passing of the torch” for FENS leadership. It is our great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Poirazi, now elected as Secretary General, alongside Prof. Ole Kiehl (president elect) and Assoc. Prof. Aniko Korosi (treasurer elect)! See the press releases from FENS and FORTH for more details.
Uncovering the role of neuromodulation in memory linking
We are excited to share our latest study in collaboration with the lab of Alcino Silva at UCLA. This work, published in NEURON, explores the role of neuromodulation by dopamine to the linking of memories. Memories are often linked, meaning that recall of one memory triggers the recall of another. In this study, UCLA scientists A. Chowdhury, A. […]
FENS 2022 plenary lecture: Learning with dendrites in brain and machines
Dr Poirazi recently represented Greece and IMBB-FORTH as a plenary speaker in FENS Forum 2022, the largest European Neuroscience meeting that took place this year in Paris . In her presentation, she discussed how computational modelling has helped us illuminate dendritic functions and their role in cognitive processes. She also presented the main findings of […]
Dendrites meet The Economist
How neurons really work is slowly being elucidated. That will help both Medicine and the search for better Artificial Intelligence. A recent article from The Economist lists our lab’s work among pioneering studies with far reaching implications in the fields of Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence!! For more information click here.
Check out this tribute to dendrites by leading experts of the field
A new Special Issue is available in Neuroscience: Dendritic contributions to biological and artificial computations, by guest editors Dr. Yiota Poirazi & Dr. Jackie Schiller. This SI includes fascinating articles by numerous leading experts on dendritic research. This SI was inspired by and will be featured at the EMBO Workshop on Dendrites, that will take […]
Butterflies in the brain: Yiota Poirazi’s latest interview from the EINSTEIN foundation
Neuroscientist and Einstein Visiting Fellow Panayiota Poirazi builds computational models of the tree-like dendrites that exist in the brain to better understand their role and to translate their functions into artificial knowledge. One of her aims is to teach algorithms to base their learning on prior knowledge in the same way that humans do. Read […]
Congratulations to Anthi Apostolopoulou for receiving the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship!
Anthi Apostolopoulou received a highly competitive Marie Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at out lab. Her project is titled: ”GenieEffect – GABAergic INterneurons signaling ImbalancE; A promising target underlying PFC-dependent cognitive flexibility defects”. Anthi aims to investigate how inhibitory neutransmission dysfunctions affect physiology and cognitive flexibility. We look forward to seeing her succeed in […]
Don’t miss DENDRITES 2022!
Whether you are a junior or senior researcher in Neuroscience, if dendrites are important in your work, don’t miss DENDRITES 2022! After being postponed due to the pandemic, the conference is now open for registration, and attendance will be in person! We hope to see you this May in sunny Heraklion! Find out more details […]
Congratulations to PhD student Ioanna Pandi, who was selected as an ELife ambassador for Europe!
We are overjoyed to announce that Ioanna Pandi, a PhD student working in our lab, has been selected as an ELife ambassador for Europe – a prestigious position that only 21 others can lay claim to this year. Working with 127 other ambassadors from all around the globe, Ioanna will be striving to enact positive […]
Congrats Spiro <3
The Dendrites lab is pleased to announce that Spiros Chavlis, a very talented postdoctoral fellow and colleague, has been selected as a Teaching Assistant for the IBRO-Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo (isiCNI). He is one of the six people selected from over 60 highly qualified applicants. Congratulations Spiro, you make us proud!
Neuromatch 4.0 is upon us!
The fourth instalment of the successful Neuromatch conference starts tomorrow! Focusing on Computational Neuroscience, and featuring esteemed speakers from across the world, the conference promises to be a major hit – and we’re not just saying so because we’ve had a hand in organizing it! Check out the responses on Twitter: The wait is […]
Υiota Poirazi’s latest interview in Neuron
Dr Yiota Poirazi reflects on this past year’s lessons and shares her not-so-direct trajectory in pursuit of her passion for neuroscience. Reminding us that science is a team game, she shares actionable steps to improve representation in science. Read more
Profiles of women in science: Panayiota Poirazi
EJN introduces Dr Panayiota Poirazi (you can read her entire interview here) as the next scientist for the series Women in Neuroscience. This series aims to brings visibility and recognition to women scientists in our community; you can find all of the previous profiles here.
A dendritic take on bio-inspired Artificial Neural Networks
Our new opinion article in Current Opinion in Neurobiology is out! Spiros Chavlis & Yiota Poirazi discuss how dendritic properties, namely their anatomy, nonlinear integration properties and plasticity can inspire new developments in deep learning algorithms and hardware implementations of spiking networks. Link to the paper.
Συνέντευξη στη LiFO, 2014
Συνέντευξη στη LiFO, 2014 -Τι χρειάζεται μια ομάδα επιστημόνων για να πετύχει; “Κύριο συστατικό της επιτυχίας είναι η σκληρή δουλειά, το πάθος για την έρευνα και η άψογη συνεργασία των μελών μιας ομάδας. Όλοι θα πρέπει να εργάζονται για ένα κοινό στόχο με μεράκι και υγιή συναγωνισμό, όχι ανταγωνισμό. Ο συνδυασμός των παραπάνω οδηγεί σε […]
WEF China 2015 – Press Conference: Ambitious research, a key ingredient for Europe’s growth
WEF China 2015 – Press Conference: Ambitious research, a key ingredient for Europe’s growth
Κriti TV 2017, Συνέντευξη με την Ανδριανή Αγγελιδάκη
Κriti TV 2017, Συνέντευξη με την Ανδριανή Αγγελιδάκη
Oμιλία της Δρ. Γιώτας Ποϊράζη στη Δαρβινική Δευτέρα
Βίντεο από την ομιλία της Δρ. Γιώτας Ποϊράζη στη Δαρβινική Δευτέρα στο Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας Ηρακλείου, υπό την αιγίδα του τμήματος Βιολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης. Οι Δαρβινικές Δευτέρες αποτελούν μια από τις καθιερωμένες εκδηλώσεις για το ευρύ κοινό της πόλης του Ηρακλείου, όπου διεθνούς φήμης επιστήμονες μεταλαμπαδεύουν στο κοινό τα σύγχρονα επιτεύγματα της έρευνας. Μέσα […]
Science meets art, art meets science
Science meets art, art meets science! ERCcOMICS, a creative and ambitious science-communication initiative that exploits the power of visual storytelling to innovate the way European research is communicated, has featured dEMORY as a notable European Research Council (ERC) funded research project, and recently came up with the above illustration, inspired by Dr. Poirazi’s TEDx talk on the cellular mechanisms of […]
“Start Your Lab” event
“Start Your Lab” event organized by FKNE members (including Dr. Poirazi) during the FENS Forum 2018.
Συνέντευξη μέλων του εργαστηρίου στο Crete TV
Συνέντευξη μέλων του εργαστηρίου στο Crete TV σχετικά με την πρόσφατη δημοσίευση αποτελεσμάτων ερευνητικής συνεργασίας τους με το εργαστήριο του Dr. Losonczy στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Columbia.
Συνέντευξη της Δρ. Ποϊράζη στο protagon.gr
Συνέντευξη της Δρ. Ποϊράζη στο protagon.gr σχετικά με την έρευνα που διεξάγεται στο εργαστήριο, με ειδικό αφιέρωμα στα αποτελέσματα της πρόσφατης συνεργασίας με το εργαστήριο του Dr. Losonczy στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Columbia.
Βραδιά του Ερευνητή – 2019
Ανάρτηση του εργαστηρίου μας για τη Βραδιά του Ερευνητή – 2019. Click to see the full poster.
Βραδιά Ερευνητή 2020
Σύντομη παρουσίαση της έρευνας που κάνουμε στο εργαστήριό μας για τη Βραδιά Ερευνητή 2020, που λόγω της Πανδημίας covid-19 δεν μπόρεσε να πραγματοποιηθεί στο ΙΤΕ. Ελπίζουμε να τα πούμε από κοντά το 2021 !!!
Featured in the Year’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Biology
Our collaborative study with the lab of Matthew Larkum that was published earlier this year in Science Magazine has made into the Year’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Biology by Quanta Magazine. In a nutshell: Dr. Albert Gidon in the Larkum Lab (add link to the Larkum lab) discovered that L2/3 neurons in the human brain have a new type […]
Διαδικτυακό σεμινάριο του Εθνικού Κέντρου Τεκμηρίωσης
Διαδικτυακό σεμινάριο του Εθνικού Κέντρου Τεκμηρίωσης στο πλαίσιο της Πρωτοβουλίας «Γέφυρες Γνώσης και Συνεργασίας» σε συνεργασία με το R.E.A.L. Science, παρουσιάζει Έλληνες που ζουν και εργάζονται σε Πανεπιστήμια, Ερευνητικά Κέντρα και εταιρείες στην Ελλάδα και σε όλο τον κόσμο. [Δρ. Ποϊράζη – 14:53] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIXbzKfcN5s&feature=emb_title
Reflections on the past two decades of neuroscience research
This year, Nature Reviews Neuroscience marked its 20th anniversary since the publication of its first issue. To celebrate this milestone, the editors invited prominent figures in the field of Neuroscience to write a Viewpoint article on what developments they consider particularly interesting and what research directions they envision for the future.
Check out our most exhaustive review (yet) on dendritic modelling
Dendrites in the spotlight It’s been more than a century since dendrites captivated the curious minds of pioneer neuroanatomists –Ramon y Cajal and Wilhelm His being among the most notable and well-cited ones–, yet, we neuroscientists are still as fascinated as ever. With the dendrites comprising the most delicate of building blocks underlying the chaotic structure of our […]
Uncovering the mechanisms of spatial deficits in epilepsy
Epilepsy’s impact is not limited to seizure events While most seizures resolve spontaneously after a few minutes, the long-term impact can be rather grim if the condition goes untreated. Significant memory and executive function deficits often ensue, taking a toll on patients’ daily lives. This is no surprise since the most common diagnosis for epilepsy involves […]
Quanta Magazine runs a story about our recent Science paper
Quanta Magazine, published by Simon Foundation, runs an article on the hidden computational power of dendrites, drawing inspiration from our recent Science paper. To accurately communicate the story, Quanta’s writer Jordana Cepelewicz consulted Dr. Poirazi, and parts of the interview are included in the article. Give it read! Below we copy an excerpt: To figure out what the new kind of […]
Dendritic action potentials and computation in Human Layer 2/3 Neurons
A question pondered since time immemorial, by philosophers and the layman alike, still receives as much interest as ever; and not surprisingly so since we are a species capable of self-reflection. Yet, we can only go so far with metaphysics
Aφιέρωμα του CNN Greece
Άρθρο – αφιέρωμα του CNN Greece στην ερευνητική πορεία της Δρ. Ποϊράζη και video της συνέντευξης της σχετικά με της δραστηριότητες του εργαστηρίου στο ΙΜΒΒ-ΙΤΕ.
Dendritic contributions to feature selectivity in the visual cortex
Half the credits ain’t fair! It’s been more than 37 years of science in the making, since Bienenstock, Cooper and Munro proposed their groundbreaking theory of synaptic plasticity to account for seemingly disparate experimental results on feature selectivity emergence in the feline visual cortex. Indeed, their plasticity rule, among a handful of others (Hebbian, STDP, […]
A deep learning framework for neuroscience
Together with a group of amazing scientists, we recently wrote a Perspective on how Deep Learning principles may help advance Neuroscience and vise-versa. It started as heated discussions in a meeting in Barbados last February and resulted in an article that seamlessly integrates our very different views. We hope you enjoy it as much […]
Warm congratulations to our PhD candidate, Kostas Petousakis, for being awarded the competitive Leventis Foundation scholarship!
The Foundation’s distinguished grant is limited to ~ 8 postgraduates per year, aiming to support and secure the full-time continuation of their studies and research. May you achieve your PhD goals to their fullest extent, Kostas! We are looking forward to the fruits of your research.
European Researchers’ Night 2019
Άλλη μια Βραδιά του Ερευνητή είναι εδώ! Σας προσκαλούμε να συμμετάσχετε στη σημερινή εκδήλωση που διοργανώνει το Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας, του Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, με σκοπό την προβολή και επικοινωνία των ερευνητικών δραστηριοτήτων που διεξάγονται εδώ στο ευρύ κοινό. Όπως κάθε εργαστήριο, έτσι κι εμείς, θα έχουμε τη δική μας γωνιά, και θα παρουσιάσουμε στους επισκέπτες […]
Dr. Poirazi is awarded a prestigious Einstein Visiting Fellowship
The Einstein Foundation Berlin was founded in 2009 by the State of Berlin, with a mission to establish the city as a centre of scientific excellence. To this aim, an independent commission awards researchers of high international calibre with research grants, so they can visit and collaborate with fellow investigators in Berlin. Research Director at IMBB-FORTH, Dr. […]
Our latest take on neural computations of the brain is out now | Nature Communications
Dendritic non-linearities as chiefs in command It’s been 16 years since Dr. Poirazi, head of the lab, got to publish her research on the non-linear functions of pyramidal neurons; a theoretical prediction that, however prominent may be now, was against all odds and dogmas. Despite its success, the concept has yet to escape the realm of […]
Poirazi Lab awarded the NEUREKA FET-OPEN grant!
The Poirazi lab is the recipient of and will coordinate a new FET-OPEN grant entitled “A smart, hybrid neural-silico-computo device for drug discovery (Acronym: NEUREKA). The program involves the development of a novel hybrid technology, whereby nanoelectrodes and sophisticated computational models of neuronal circuits are combined to readout and manipulate activity/connectivity in cultured neuronal networks […]
Georgia Soursou and Maria Karatsoli, MSc students in our lab, were granted funding to organize a Brain Awareness Week workshop
Superb news! Georgia Soursou and Maria Karatsoli, MSc students in our lab, were granted with funding to organize a Brain Awareness Week workshop, as part of the Dana Foundation global campaign to increase public’s awareness of the benefits stemmig from brain research efforts. Save the dates: March 14, 2019 6:30PM – March 15, 2019 8:30PM, and […]
Congratulations to Georgia Soursou for successfully applying to the Human Brain Atlas School
Georgia Soursou, MSc student in our lab, successfully applied to and will attend the “Human Brain Atlas: Neuroscientific basis, tools and applications – School”. She’s also received financial support to do so from the high-esteemed organiser, namely the Human Brain Project. Students in our lab are always encouraged to pursue opportunities as such!
Dr. Poirazi receives the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Dr. Poirazi receives the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award by Hans-Christian Paper, president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The ceremony took place during the 47th Symposium for Research Award Winners of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bamberg, Germany March 28th-30th 2019.
IMBB-FORTH and Columbia University researchers pinpoint the neurons that control brain’s memory flow
The laboratories of Dr. Losonczy at Columbia University in New York, and ours, Dr. Poirazi at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of FORTH, joined forces in order to explain how neurons flexibly lay down or recall memories. The study, which was recently published in Neuron, is the first to provide visual evidence that a particular type […]
Yiota Poirazi receives the prestigious F.W. Bessel International Research Award
Yiota Poirazi receives the prestigious Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel International Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The award is bestowed to nominated researchers outside Germany, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to science. The official award ceremony will take place in Bamberg, Germany 28-31 March 2019. IMBB Press Release: https://www.imbb.forth.gr/news/181218_Poirazi_Humboldt-Award.pdf 2018 Award Symposium: https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/56076901.html
#isiCNI2019, here comes Ioanna!
Congratulations to Ioanna Pandi, a Master’s student conducting her thesis in our lab, for being selected to attend the highly competitive IBRO-SIMONS Computational Neuroscience Imbizo (2019) school in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a unique opportunity for her to get to learn more on cutting edge research, meet top-notch experts in the field, and associate with peers from varying scientific / cultural backgrounds! Learn […]
Dr. Papoutsi awarded with the prestigious NARSAD 2018 Young Investigator Grant
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation announced the awarding of its 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Grants valued at more than $13.8 million to 200 of the world’s most promising young scientists. Among them is our long-time fellow Dr. Papoutsi, to whom we offer our warmest congratulations and best wishes for her research! Below is the Brain & […]
The ERC dEMORY project featured as… webcomics!
Science meets art, art meets science! ERCcOMICS, a creative and ambitious science-communication initiative that exploits the power of visual storytelling to innovate the way European research is communicated, has featured dEMORY as a notable European Research Council (ERC) funded research project, and recently came up with the above illustration, inspired by Dr. Poirazi’s TEDx talk on the cellular mechanisms […]
Our recent Nature Communications publication is featured by the editors
Challenging the point-neuron dogma is no easy feat, but hard work pays off! In this instance, the editors of Nature Comm. selected our recent paper on the said topic to be featured on journal’s highlights. We must extend our warm congratulations to the main authors, Alexandra Tzilkivaki and Dr. Kastellakis. In case you haven’t read it yet, here’s the link, off […]
Linking memories with synaptic capture and excitability
Dr. Kastellakis’s research on the cellular mechanisms that facilitate learning and memory is gaining momentum among peers in the field. On 13-14 July, he gave an invited talk on the subject, with the title: “Linking memories with synaptic capture and excitability”, at the “Neuroplasticity: from Bench to Machine” Workshop, organized by the University of Surrey. If interested to learn more, take a […]
Successful completion of DENDRITES 2018 EMBO meeting
The 3rd EMBO Workshop on Dendrites was completed with great success. We are thankful to our speakers for their inspiring presentations and all participants for making this a scientifically stimulating and fun event!
PhD Fellow and lab member, Alexandra Tzilivaki, is awarded with the “Maria Mihail Manassaki” scholarship
We are delighted to announce that Alexandra Tzilivaki has been awarded with the “Maria Mihail Manassaki” scholarship, based on her academic excellence as a postgraduate student of the Biology Department, University of Crete, during the 2016-2017 term. Alexandra has been distinguished over the years by her devotion, unchallenged motivation, and skillful diligence ever since joining our lab […]
Investing in Young Researchers, Shaping Europe’s Future
23 ERC grantee researchers, Dr. Poirazi included, 3 Nobel Laureates, and MEPs met at Strasbourg on 31 May to address current science policy issues and shape the future directions of European Research. Read more details on the meeting at the below links: FORTH News Announcement in Greek European Parliament Press Release
Alexandra Tzilivaki was selected as Next Generation Woman Leader by McKinsey and Company
Alexandra Tzilivaki, PhD candidate at Charite Medical School Berlin and IMBB FORTH, was recently appointed as Next Generation Woman Leader by McKinsey & Company. Her application was screened by McKinsey based on academic excellence, work experience, extracurricular activities and leadership profile. Mckinsey & Company selected young female academics (under 38 years old) from worldwide with strong problem-solving […]
Dr. Papoutsi, along with Dr. Mari, receive the highly competitive ELIDEK (HFRI) grant
The young investigators will benefit from the ELIDEK (HFRI) financial support to establish novel and multi-disciplinary neuroscience research at our host institute, IMBB-FORTH. Read more at the Hellenic Ministry of Education announcement.
Our publication in Nature Communications is recommended by F1000 for its special significance in the field
Dr. Polleux, Prof. of Neuroscience at Columbia University, recommended our publication: Frank, et al., (2018). Hotspots of dendritic spine turnover facilitate clustered spine addition and learning and memory. Nature communications. on F1000Prime as being of special significance in its field. Dr. Polleux’s recommendation comment: “In their study, Frank and collaborators used state-of-the art imaging techniques to relate the structural phenomenon of spine turnover […]
IMBB and UCLA researchers show how synaptic turnover facilitates learning and memory
The laboratory of Dr. Alcino Silva at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) joined forces with the lab of Dr. Poirazi at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of FORTH in order to explain why the “banding together” of synapses in dendrites relates to better learning and memory. The work is published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, and […]
Dendrites of dentate gyrus granule cells contribute to pattern separation by controlling sparsity
Check out our new paper on pattern separation that was just published in Hippocampus. The paper describes the role of dentate granule cell dendrites in pattern separation by using a simple, yet biologically relevant, computational network model. Congratulations to all authors and especially to Spiros Chavlis! Here is the online publication.
Dr. Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH researcher, elected as a member of EMBO
Dr. Poirazi joins 65 other outstanding researchers who have been newly-elected to the organisation which promotes excellence in the life sciences. There are currently 1700 EMBO members and more than 59 Nobel laureates amongst the membership. The goals of EMBO are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers and help build a […]
The perfect grant and how to get it
Nature journal just published an opinion article authored by Dr. Poirazi on the hassles of financial support in academia and the pursuit of ideal grant schemes. Special thanks to Dr. Tim Vogels, University of Oxford, Dr. Matthew Grubb, King College London, and Dr. Carlos Ribeiro, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, who jointly helped with the co-ordination of the reported survey.
IMBB researchers probe the role of dendrites in memory storage in the brain
Research at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in collaboration with Columbia University published in the scientific journal Neuron reveals the role of mossy cells in environment discrimination in awake, behaving animals. Researchers combined experimental with computational methods in order to study the function of these excitatory cells. Hippocampus is a key brain area involved in memory formation, […]
Linking Memories across Time via Neuronal and Dendritic Overlaps in Model Neurons with Active Dendrites
George Kastellaki’s research has been published in Cell Reports under the title: “Linking Memories across Time via Neuronal and Dendritic Overlaps in Model Neurons with Active Dendrites”. Here are the online publication and the IMBB-FORTH press release: “Research at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology published today in the scientific journal Cell Reports reveals the dendritic mechanisms that underlie […]
PhD.C. Spiros Chavlis was selected to attend the CAJAL winter school in Bordeaux, France
We are proud to announce the participation of our PhD student Spiros Chavlis to the CAJAL winter school: “The Brain Prize Course. The Hippocampus: from Circuits to Cognition”, in Bordeaux Neurocampus, France, 10-31 October. Spiros was selected among 20 highly competitive participants and was also awarded with a generous financial support from The Hippocampus journal.
FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence Mentoring and PhD Thesis Prizes
During the FENS Forum 2016 in Copenhagen, the FENS Kavli Scholars honored the Best Mentor and the Best PhD thesis for the years 2014-2016. The award winners were Prof. David Attwell, Fellow of the Royal Society (University College London) and Dr. Linda Katona (University of Oxford).
HSN travel fellowship to Alexandra Tzilivaki
Congratulations to Alexandra Tzilivaki for being awarded a travel grant by the Hellenic Society for Neuroscience in order to present her work at the FENS Forum 2016, the largest Neuroscience meeting in Europe!
Collaboration with Matthew Larkum through a NeuroCure Visiting Fellowship
We are excited to announce that Dr. Poirazi has been appointed a NeuroCure Visiting Fellow at the Charité University of Berlin as of April 1st 2016. The NeuroCure is a Cluster of Excellence in the neurosciences at the Charité ? Universitätsmedizin Berlin and its partners are the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Max-Delbrück Center […]
The road to independence: how to get funding in neuroscience
Check out the 3rd in a series of 10 opinion articles in the European Journal of Neuroscience by the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence! The article offers a range of tips and points to current funding opportunities for young Neuroscientists trying to fund their research in Europe. The other 2 articles of this series can be […]
REMOD: A Tool for Analyzing and Remodeling the Dendritic Architecture of Neural Cells
Dendritic morphology is a key determinant of how individual neurons acquire a unique signal processing profile. The highly branched dendritic structure that originates from the cell body, explores the surrounding 3D space in a fractal-like manner, until it reaches a certain amount of complexity. Its shape undergoes significant alterations under various physiological or neuropathological conditions. […]
A Simple Method to Simultaneously Detect and Identify Spikes from Raw Extracellular Recordings
A Simple Method to Simultaneously Detect and Identify Spikes from Raw Extracellular Recordings Panagiotis C. Petrantonakis* and Panayiota Poirazi* Computational Biology Laboratory, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece The ability to track when and which neurons fire in the vicinity of an electrode, in an efficient and reliable manner can […]
The activities of the FENS-KAVLI Network of Excellence come into focus
The ten most important things for a successful career in neuroscience. Interview with Yiota (Panayiota) Poirazi and Carlos Ribeiro from the FENS-KAVLI Network of Excellence. Read the full interview of two Network members on how they feel about the Network and about the outcomes of its first meeting, held in London in April 2015. More info is available […]
Press Release: IMBB researcher Panayiota Poirazi is Chair of the FENS-KAVLI Network of Excellence
THE FENS-KAVLI NETWORK OF EXCELLENCE is a prestigious network of 30-35 outstanding young European neuroscientists that represent the most talented scholars among their peer group. It is supported by the Kavli Foundation and the Federation for European Neuroscience Societies (FENS). The first 20 members were selected in December 2014 and another 10-15 will be selected […]
Why memory is the key to a better future
Dr. Poirazi participated at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015, which took place in Dalian, China. In this video she talks about the forthcoming wave of new revolutionary technologies that will allow neuroscientists to track and manipulate the activity of neurons in the human brain, in non-invasive ways. Ultimately, this will enable the development of novel and highly effective therapeutic approaches that can overcome […]
Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015
Panayiota Poirazi, together with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas and the ERC President, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, held a Press Briefing on Frontier Research on behalf of the European Research Council at World Economic Forum‘s ”Summer Davos”, in Dalian, China, on 9 September 2015.
Alexandra Tzilivaki wins Google EMEA fellowship
Alexandra Tzilivaki, an undergraduate Biology student working in our lab, has been awarded the prestigious pan-European “Google EMEA Scholarship” for the academic year 2015-2016 (www.google.com/edu/scholarships). Applicants for the EMEA scholarship have been screened by Google for their academic standing, leadership skills and demonstrated passion for Computer Science. Alexandra is the only recipient working in a […]
IMBB researcher elected member of the Young Academy of Europe
Heraklion, February 12th 2015. Panayiota Poirazi, a Research Director at IMBB-FORTH was elected yesterday member of the Young Academy of Europe. The Young Academy of Europe is a pan-European initiative of outstanding young scientists who wished to create a platform for networking, scientific exchange and science policy. Membership to this prestigious Academy is based on […]
Panayiota Poirazi is one of the 20 top neuroscientists forming the FENS-KAVLI Network of Excellence
THE FENS-KAVLI NETWORK OF EXCELLENCE is a prestigious network of 30 outstanding young European neuroscientists that represent the most talented scholars among their peer group. The first 20 members were selected in December 2014 and another 10 will be selected in 2015. Panayiota Poirazi, a Research Director at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology […]
Panayiota Poirazi to represent ERC at the World Economic Forum’s Meeting of New Champions 2014
Dr. Poirazi recently gave a talk at the World Economic Forum’s Meeting of New Champions in Tianjin, China, in which she argued that our ability to form memory associations may be a cost-effective strategy that has evolved in order to optimize both memory capacity and the use of available neural resources. This talk was part […]
Manolis Christofides award to Dr Poirazi
The Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiadis gives Dr. Poirazi the “Manolis Christofides” award in a Ceremony that took place in Nicosia on March 14, 2014. Via CretaLive.gr