PhD candidate studying the neuronal circuits underlying empathy (M/F)

Job Description

Thesis Subject

The ability to perceive emotions from others (empathy) has been proposed to be a core function of human beings. Nevertheless, intense work in the last years has demonstrated that this phenomenon (specifically, emotional contagion in the case of non-human species) might be evolutionary conserved (1–3). How the brain computes the perceptions of others' emotions to get emotional-matching is still under intense investigation and remains one of the most challenging obstacles to understand how such mechanisms are impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as major depression, social anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders (4).

The field of social neuroscience has tremendously advanced in the last years, however it suffers from a strong bias towards the study of negatively valence emotions, such as social transmission of fear or the perception of distress and pain signals from others (5). These are very relevant brain functions, however, learning from positively-valence information is equally important and even more present in our daily interactions, but its study has been virtually neglected. We aim to fill this gap and provide frontiers knowledge that will help translate our basic research into new therapeutic strategies to impact health in our society. To do so, we propose a multidisciplinary project that can meet this challenge, by providing groundbreaking and circuit-level understanding on how the brain computes positive affective states from others and uses them to guide behavior.

1. de Waal FBM, Preston SD. Mammalian empathy: behavioural manifestations and neural basis. 2017. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2017.72
2. Carrillo M, Han Y, Migliorati F, Liu M, Gazzola V, Keysers C. Emotional Mirror Neurons in the Rat's Anterior Cingulate Cortex. 2019. Current biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.024
3. Keysers C, Gazzola V. Vicarious Emotions of Fear and Pain in Rodents. 2023. Affective science. DOI: 10.1007/s42761-023-00198-x
4. Henry JD, von Hippel W, Molenberghs P, Lee T, Sachdev PS. Clinical assessment of social cognitive function in neurological disorders. 2016. Nature Reviews Neurology. DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2015.229
5. Gachomba MJM, Esteve-Agraz J, Márquez C. Prosocial behaviors in rodents. 2024. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105776

Your Work Environment

The successful candidate will join the Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences (INCI) in Strasbourg, a CNRS research institute comprising approximately 140 staff members, within the Peptidergic Control of Emotions research team led by Dr. Alexandre Charlet. The PhD student will be enrolled in the Doctoral School of Life and Health Sciences at the University of Strasbourg (ED414).

The Peptidergic Control of Emotions team is part of a dynamic trinational research network involving laboratories in France, Germany, and Switzerland. This unique location at the heart of Europe provides an outstanding scientific environment for early-career researchers, with access to high-quality technical and theoretical training as well as numerous collaborative opportunities.

The institute is located in a green setting at the heart of the University of Strasbourg's Esplanade campus. The campus offers on-site dining facilities, excellent public transport connections, and a friendly, collaborative working environment.

Constraints and risks

Exposure to occupational hazards associated with rodent handling, including allergies and animal bites.
Occasional weekend work and flexible working hours may be required.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions