Title：In Search of Stress Resilience
Speaker: PD Mathias V. Schmidt, PhD
Research Group Leader at Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Germany
Host：Prof. Xiaodong Wang
Address：Room 205, School of Medicine Building
Dr. Mathias Schmidt earned his PhD in biology at Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 2004. He received postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (MPIP), Germany, and became the principal investigator of the Molecular Stress Physiology group at the MPIP in 2004-2010. Since 2010, he leads the research group Neurobiology of Stress. Dr. Schmidt focuses on the behavioral, neuroendocrine and molecular basis of individual stress vulnerability and resilience. He has published more than 70 papers in Nature Neuroscience, PLoS Medicine, PNAS, The Journal of Neuroscience, etc.
Talk summary:
Chronic stress is widely regarded as key risk factor for a variety of diseases, including depression. Yet, while some individuals are vulnerable to stress, others are remarkably resilient. It seems clear that genetic predispositions interact with environmental demands such as chronic stress and modulate its long-term outcome. In addition, there is abundant evidence that environmental circumstances early in life are capable of shaping the adult phenotype. In my research group we therefore aim to unravel the complex interplay of genetic predispositions with environmental influences during development and in adulthood on the level of individual stress resilience. I will illustrate several research strategies to address this question, ranging from candidate gene approaches to unbiased screening for novel targets and biomarkers. In addition, I will present evidence that aversive experiences early in life may under specific circumstances be beneficial, resulting in individuals that are better adapted to deal with aversive challenges later in life.
