معرفی
Prof. Silvia Arber is a Full Professor at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, where she leads a research group investigating neural circuits controlling body movement. Her work combines mouse genetics, viral tracing, optogenetics, and behavioral analysis to understand motor network organization, development, and plasticity.
Education: PhD (1995) and BSc (1991) from the University of Basel.
Research focuses on hierarchical motor control systems spanning brainstem nuclei, spinal cord circuits, and sensory feedback pathways. Key areas include:
- Precision in neural connectivity for movement execution/suppression
- Brainstem regulation of locomotor speed and skilled motor tasks
- Spinal cord circuit organization for interlimb coordination
- Plasticity in motor networks after injury
Her publications consistently explore motor circuit specialization, with recent work emphasizing brainstem-basal ganglia interactions, cortical-medullary mapping, and pathological mechanisms in movement disorders.
Major scientific honors include:
- The Brain Prize (2022)
- Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (2016)
- Two ERC Advanced Grants (2015, 2010)
- Otto Naegeli Prize (2014)
- EMBO Young Investigator Award (2000)
She mentors doctoral and postdoctoral researchers in neurobiology techniques. Her laboratory employs electrophysiology, genetic tools, and quantitative behavior analysis to dissect motor control principles.
