Dr. Adam Hamed from Laboratory of Spatial Memory of the Nencki Institute, has received funding under the Bekker Program from the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) to complete a research internship at the Paris Neuroscience Institute (NeuroPSI).

The Paris Neuroscience Institute is a joint research unit of the University of Paris-Saclay and the CNRS (UMR 9197), focused on research in neuroscience. The awarded project, which will be realized with Professor Sylvie Granon's team, will combine techniques developed by TSE systems (IntelliCage), and ultrasonic vocalization recording and analysis to study individual variation in mouse vocal behavior and to correlate vocalizations with individual social skills and susceptibility to risky behaviors. To date, no one in the world has combined these three techniques. Biochemical verification of neurotransmitters and their metabolites concentrations in multiple brain structures will identify key neurotransmitters that correlate with risky behavior. The neurochemical and behavioral data collected will be used to develop a mathematical model which will help understand the biological basis of individual differences in decision making.