FSS international postdoc grant for Vibeke Dam

Congratulations to NRU postdoc Vibeke Dam who has received an international postdoc grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark for her project: 'Cognitive contributions to depression - exposing the role of working memory deficits in depressive pathology'. The grant is worth 1.305.000 DKK and includes full postdoc salary for two years. Vibeke will be carrying out some of the research activities in the project at the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol under the supervision of professor Marcus Munafò in collaboration with professor Ian Pentok-Voak.

Project abstract: Working memory deficit is a common but often overlooked symptom in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). As a consequence, we know little about its role in the development and maintenance of depressive psychopathology. Using working memory data from established epidemiological cohort studies and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) neuroimaging studies, I here propose to address two fundamental questions about the role of working memory function in MDD: 1) does early-life working memory deficits constitute a risk factor in later development of MDD and 2) what is the involvement of serotonergic neurotransmission in working memory function and does it differ between the healthy and depressed brain? Results from these studies will not only contribute significantly to our understanding of working memory in MDD but could also help identify new treatment targets and perhaps guide future preventative strategies in MDD.