International activities
ESF EUROCORES
EUROCORES stands for European Science Foundation Collaborative Research Programmes Scheme. A EUROCORE is a grant provided by the European Science Foundation (ESF). The ESF uses this instrument to promote multinational cooperation within Europe. The ESF has 78 members (member organisations) from 30 different countries: academies, research organisations and funding organisations such as NWO.
Repetitive and uncontrollable stress is known to be a powerful risk factor for mental disorders. Whether an individual will respond adaptively or maladaptively to a stressor is defined by his/her genetics, developmental history and the environment in adulthood. In particular traumatic experiences in early life, notably neglect or abuse during childhood, could considerably add to the risk of subsequent psychiatric illnesses including major depression, psychosis and post traumatic stress disorder. The societal and economic burden of these stress-related illnesses is enormous. Hence it is of great importance to come to a better understanding of these influences of stress on mental health.
The EUROCORES programme EuroSTRESS will focus on two important questions through an interdisciplinary aproach:
- How can early life experience and genetic background in concert evoke lasting changes in signalling pathways within the brain, resulting in altered behaviour and increased vulnerability to negative effects of stress in adulthood?
- How can periods of repetitive stress or traumatic events in adulthood (against a background of life history and genetic vulnerability) disrupt brain function such that the chances on precipitation of specific psychiatric disorders are increased?
