Mitochondria are increasingly recognized as dynamic, cell type–specific regulators of brain function and behavior. I will present recent work dissecting how mitochondrial features in distinct neuronal populations of the nucleus accumbens shape anxiety and motivation, highlighting findings from rodent models implicating mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics. Beyond neurons, emerging evidence from our unpublished studies identifies astrocytic mitochondria as key modulators of blood–brain barrier properties with behavioral consequences, and transcriptomic profiling reveals microglial mitochondrial signatures associated with anxiety phenotypes. Integrating results across neuronal, astrocytic, and microglial compartments, I will discuss how mitochondrial diversity at the cellular and circuit levels contributes to individual differences in stress responsiveness, anxiety, and motivation, and how these insights may inform strategies to promote resilience.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Carmen Sandi is Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), where she leads the Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics. She has made seminal contributions to understanding how stress affects brain function and behavior, identifying glucocorticoid signaling and cell adhesion molecules as key modulators of stress-induced neural and behavioral adaptations. Her current research focuses on how brain metabolism, particularly mitochondrial function, shapes the structure and function of neural circuits involved in motivation, emotion regulation, and decision-making. Using integrative approaches in rodents and humans, her work has revealed how mitochondrial processes contribute to individual differences in behavior and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression.
Carmen carried out her PhD research in Neuroscience at the Cajal Institute in Madrid, followed by postdoctoral training in Bordeaux and at the UK Open University before joining EPFL. She served as Director of the EPFL Brain Mind Institute from 2012 to 2019. Carmen has published over 280 research articles and contributed to various books. She has held major leadership roles in the neuroscience community, including as President of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the European Brain and Behaviour Society (EBBS), and the Cajal Advanced Neuroscience Training Programme. She is the founder and current President of the Swiss Stress Network and the Global Stress and Resilience Network, and also founded the ALBA Network for Diversity and Inclusion in Brain Sciences.
