Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

Mapping empathySince the 1890s, it has been known that changes in bloodfl ow and blood oxygenation in the brain, collectively knownas haemodynamics, are closely linked to neural activity. Whennerve cells are active their oxygen consumption increases. Thelocal response to this oxygen utilisation is to increase bloodfl ow to regions of increased neural activity, which occurs aftera delay of about one to fi ve seconds.The recent discovery that magnetic resonance imaging canbe used to map these changes in brain haemodynamics thatcorrespond to mental operations has extended traditionalanatomical imaging to include maps of human brain function.‘This new tool, fMRI’, explains Professor Keysers, ‘gives usthe ability to map brain structures, but also to observe whichstructures participate in specifi c functions, providing highresolution,non-invasive reports of neural activity.’The ability to directly observe what the brain is doing in realtime opens an array of new opportunities to advance theunderstanding of neural functioning and organisation, and itpresents a potential new standard for assessing neurologicalstatus and neurosurgical risk.Putting excellent Fellows in touch withtheir feelingsCurrently comprising fi ve postdoctoral researchers, fi ve PhDFellows and one Master’s student, Professor Keysers’ SocialBrain Laboratory is rapidly expanding. Generously fi nanced bythe European Union’s Marie Curie Actions and the Dutch ScienceFoundation, its ‘NeuroEmpathy’ project (Towards a neuroscienceof empathy: shared circuits for actions, emotions and sensations)is creating some very exciting opportunities for young researchers.Among other things, the Marie Curie programme supportsexcellence in team building, providing funding that enablespromising researchers to establish their own group.Marleen Schippers is a PhD Fellow from the Netherlands who says,‘The Marie Curie programme has allowed me to do wonderfulresearch under a well-paid contract, in an internationalenvironment that has been very stimulating for me.’Ms Schippers says the travel budget associated with thegrant has allowed her to go to a number of very interestinginternational conferences that would have been out of reachotherwise. ‘This will provide an ideal basis for my scientifi ccareer,’ she concludes.98