Joint research project: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Matthew Larkum) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Ariel Gilad)

Einstein Foundation approves funding of 9.6 million euros, to tackel mental health (Einstein Center for Youth Mental Health), as well as three joint research projects, a postdoctoral grant and two visiting fellowships

The role of the midbrain in orientation and decision-making

Matthew Larkum and Ariel Gilad, Assistant Professor of Medical Neurobiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), will conduct joint research into the neural mechanisms of the brain that control navigation and goal-directed behavior in everyday life. One of the brain’s central tasks is to enable living beings to orient themselves flexibly in their environment. Navigation means making decisions about when, how, where, or whether to move—and requires an idea of one’s own position in the environment. Although it is known that different areas of the brain work together in this process, the role of a specific area in the midbrain—the superior colliculus—has been little studied to date.

The Larkum and Gilad team is now investigating the hypothesis that it is precisely this feedback that is crucial for selecting and predicting movements. The project builds on the concept of circular feedback loops in the brain developed in Berlin, which is based on work by Livia de Hoz (Charité).

Source: Einstein Foundation Press Release (in German).
https://www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/media/press-releases/2025/28072025-08/25

#neuroscience #brainresearch #neurobiology #decisionmaking #navigation #midbrain #HebrewUniversity #HumboldtUniversity

See EINSTEIN FOUNDATION – press release