Fascinating Brain - Brigitte Röder and Her Research on Neuroplasticity

Brigitte Röder, Professor of Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology at the University of Hamburg and Visiting Professor at the LV Prassad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, dedicates her research to the mechanisms of the human brain and its neuroplasticity. The passionate scientist investigates how the brain develops and adapts through learning processes, depending on the experiences an individual has. In 2017, Brigitte Röder was honored with the Hector Science Award and has been an active member of the Hector Fellow Academy since then.
Why do children learn differently from adults? Which mechanisms in the brain are decisive for this? When, how and in what environment do we learn best? And what are the consequences if children do not find ideal learning conditions? These are the questions that drive Brigitte Röder and her team at the University of Hamburg as they search for explanations. A central finding of their research emphasizes the crucial role that childhood experiences play in the formation of brain networks alongside genetic preconditions. Through experiments with test subjects, measuring for exemple electrical currents on the surface of the head, the researchers are trying to establish links between human behavior and changes in the brain.
Brigitte Röder and the research team at the University of Hamburg assume that there are "sensitive periodes" in the development of the brain during which children learn particularly easily. Rashi Pant's doctoral project, which was supervised by Brigitte Röder, also dealt with this topic. The young researcher is now an alumna of the Hector Fellow Academy. In order to investigate these "sensitive periods", Brigitte Röder and her team of scientists have developed a unique research model that examines people who are born blind and only regain their sight in adulthood through an operation. In this way, an unusual childhood experience can be simulated. The Indo-German collaboration with the LV Prasad Eye Institute, an eye clinic and research facility for eye diseases in Hyderabad, India, is exemplary in this respect.
Brigitte Röder's research is not only intended to contribute to a better understanding of the connection between biological brain processes and behavior, but also to identify new possibilities for increasing the neuroplasticity of the brain, developing innovative therapeutic approaches and stimulate learning processes.
The Hector Fellow Academy, founded in 2013, honors outstanding scientists in the fields of engineering and natural sciences, medicine and psychology with the Hector Science Award. As a member of the Academy, researchers like Prof. Röder benefit from an interdisciplinary network that provides an opportunity to exchange ideas with world-class researchers. The Academy not only fosters outstanding research, but also invests in young scientists by funding doctoral positions and awarding the Hector Research Career Development Award.
www.hector-fellow-academy.de/
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