Young Investigator Award Recognizes the achievements of outstanding young neuroscientists

NEW ORLEANS — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has presented the Young Investigator Award to Rui M. Costa, DVM, PhD, of Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal, and Guo-li Ming, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Turning point: Rui Costa

Neuroscientist’s passion for research yields big awards and post in his home country.

Scientists verify working mechanism of neural system

A group of scientists has discovered the way the neural system operates while initiating an action, paving the way for the development of new treatments for various neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, the science ministry said Thursday.

The group, including Prof. Jun Sang-beom of Seoul’s Ewha Womans University, has confirmed both direct and indirect pathways work simultaneously to initiate an action.

Rui Costa e colegas descobriram que a decisão para fazer um movimento simples como levantar o braço depende de dois circuitos neuronais diferentes e não de um só. Descoberta pode ter implicações no tratamento de sintomas de doenças como a de Parkinson.

Luzes, neurónios, acção: foi através da observação desta sequência de acontecimentos que uma equipa de cientistas, com participação portuguesa, conseguiu mostrar que são necessárias duas rotas diferentes de células nervosas para se gerar movimento.

The European Commission has announced today (January 28) the selection of the Human Brain Project (HBP) as one of its two winners of the Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship Projects, an European initiative which aims to address the greatest challenges of modern science.

Rui Costa and Zachary Mainen from the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme are amongst the, more than, 200 researchers involved in this project.

The CNP’s Leopoldo Petreanu is one of 28 scientists named as recipients of HFSP Young Investigator grants.

Do we always make better decisions when we take more time to think?
Or are there decisions where more time doesn’t really help?

Megan Carey

Norte-Americana, 38 anos
Investigadora principal do “Laboratório de circuitos neurais e do comportamento”. Do Centro de Investigação de Neurociências da Fundação Champalimaud, onde está desde 2010. Fez o doutoramento na Califórnia e um pós-doc na Faculdade de Medicina de harvard. Entre os vários prémios que recebeu, foi nomeada pelo Instituto Médico Howard Hughes, nos EUA, como uma das futuras líderes de ciência no seu país.

April was a full month for CNP outreach! CNP researchers participated in a range of outreach events including presentations and discussions before wide audiences in TEDxO’Porto, Culturgest and Tertúlias de Jornalismo e Literatura, hosting an exciting Ar event, visiting and speaking at schools and participating in a science communication contest, all in the spirit of sharing science with everyone.

Susana Lima

Interviews with portuguese fashion magazine “Máxima” printed May edition.
“Chemistry, love at first sight, we know that it exists and in humans it is very visual, but its much more than that (…)”