Two DFF–Research Project1 grants awarded to Hajime Hirase and Verena Untiet

The researchers behind the two projects, Hajime Hirase and Verena Untiet from CTN, have each received a grant of 3 million DKK from the Independent Research Fund Denmark under the call “DFF-Research Project 1. The funds will make it possible to study how special brain cells called astrocytes help maintain the balance in the brain, which is crucial for mental health.

Congratulations to Professor, Hajime Hirase and Associate Professor Verena Untiet.

Astrocytes as key players

Hajime Hirase’s project focuses on blood flow in the brain. Normally, blood supply adjusts like traffic lights to match brain activity. But in depression, this system seems to fail. Hirase’s team will investigate how a molecule called cAMP in astrocytes controls blood flow during sleep, wakefulness, and movement - and how this process goes wrong in depression.

Verena Untiet’s project looks at another side of astrocytes: how they regulate nerve signals. Astrocytes manage chloride – a molecule which influences how signals are transmitted in the brain and therefore is essential for whether the brain activity is balanced. Untiet will use advanced imaging techniques to study how chloride levels and the release of GABA - a chemical that acts like a brake - change during different brain states. This research could reveal why imbalances lead to conditions like epilepsy.

Together, these two projects highlight how astrocytes are key players in brain health and disease.

About the projects

Titel: Tonic regulation of cerebral blood flow by neuron-glia interactions: from natural brain states to depression Researcher.
Professor, Hajime Hirase
Grant: 3.167.909 kr.

Titel: Astrocytic GABA release drives tonic and phasic inhibition in cortical networks in health and disease Researcher.
Associate Professor, Verena Untiet
Grant: 3.167.909 kr.

Find the project descriptions at DFF’s website