EASTBIO PhD: Long-term effects of adolescent sugar intake on decision-making and prefrontal circuits

EASTBIO PhD: Long-term effects of adolescent sugar intake on decision-making and prefrontal circuits

Research Question and Applicant Fit

This mouse-neuroscience project connects adolescent sugar consumption, persistent adult decisions and prefrontal circuits through behavioural work, slice electrophysiology and causal circuit research. It suits experimental neuroscience interests and willingness to train across two labs. Its value is the three-level mechanistic question; the main risk is a broad scope whose initial tasks, resources and daily training are unpublished. Four-year worldwide EASTBIO funding is competitive; successful international awardees receive overseas-fee top-up waivers, while £22,437 for 2027/28 remains an estimate. Discuss the first behavioural comparison with the lead, then ensure the email application and both references arrive by 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

The project asks whether sugar-rich diets during adolescence leave persistent changes in decision-making, and whether altered prefrontal microcircuits help explain them. Its motivation is that metabolic consequences are better studied than long-term cognition, while prefrontal systems regulating food choice and action control mature late. This is a mouse mechanistic doctorate, not an adolescent clinical study or personal dietary recommendation.

The advertised work has three distinct aims: mouse behavioural studies of long-lasting sugary-diet effects on different decision-making and action-control processes; ex vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology on brain slices to characterise prefrontal microcircuit changes; and circuit neuroscience to test causal relationships between prefrontal functioning and altered decisions in sugar-exposed mice. Training spans behaviour, neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, with close work across two laboratories. Each method answers a different question: behaviour measures the phenotype, slice physiology characterises cellular/circuit properties, and a suitable circuit-level test is needed to support a functional causal claim.

Possible discussion points, rather than promised protocols, are separating sugar-specific effects from energy intake, metabolic state and adiposity, and distinguishing action-control changes from reward valuation, motivation, movement or learning. Age and sex may modify outcomes. An association between slice physiology and behaviour is not by itself mediation or causality. Even a controlled causal finding in mice does not establish an effect size, treatment or dietary prescription in human teenagers. Exact initial behavioural tasks, exposure comparisons, sample sizes, circuit approach and division of work are unpublished.

Peters and Naneix's 2022 review places dopamine/endocannabinoid prefrontal maturation in a developmental framework and notes unresolved age/sex questions. It is conceptual background, not a new sugar experiment. The RSE's 1 July 2026 account of Naneix/Peters collaboration describes preliminary mouse work on diet/environment, supporting current activity while providing no clinical efficacy evidence. Development review; Current complementary research.

School, Programme and Field Context

University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, is the advertised host and expected degree-awarding institution. Both supervisors are affiliated with the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health. Rowett is part of the school, not an independent university or second degree-awarding partner. Its Foresterhill Health Campus building covers 10,000 m², with nutrition/clinical/metabolic resources; those wider facilities do not mean this mouse project includes human trials or guaranteed access to every platform. Rowett official environment.

Aberdeen's official REF 2021 UoA4 Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience profile reports 34% four-star, 60% three-star, 25.00 FTE; Clinical Medicine reports 15% four-star and 62% three-star. These are subject-unit research assessments, not world rankings or the performance score of these two labs. Nutrition–neuroscience links and demonstrated behavioural/electrophysiological collaboration are more project-specific strengths; available information does not establish a current world ranking for this project's subject or laboratories. REF 2021.

The competition funds four years, normally full-time. EASTBIO core interdisciplinary and professional training is concentrated in years 1–2. Standard PIPS is 12 weeks in a non-academic setting before the end of year 3, outside the student's own doctorate; this is not advertised as CASE. The published 2026/27 training calendar is illustrative rather than the 2027 schedule. Exact 2027 start date, registered degree/code, school progression reviews and animal-research training/authorisation arrangements require confirmation. No part-time option is stated in this specific advert; Student-visa study must be full-time and local. Training; PIPS.

The official 2027 EASTBIO application directory lists this project. A directory listing does not confirm whether applications are currently being accepted; confirm the current status with the host. Official current application entry; University opportunities gateway.

Supervisors, Recent Papers and Resources

Fabien Naneix is a Lecturer in SMMSN/Rowett, researching diet, development, reward and action control; the official profile says he accepts PhD students. Antonio Gonzalez, published as J.A./José Antonio González and named Antonio Gonzalez Sanchez in the project, is also a Lecturer in SMMSN/Rowett, with circuit and electrophysiological expertise. Both profiles associate with the Aberdeen Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre. Do not promote either to Professor. Naneix official profile; Gonzalez official profile.

Three recent primary papers offer complementary evidence. Their study contexts and contributions differ:

• Mukherjee and colleagues, Naneix corresponding author, Neuropsychopharmacology 51(9):1699–1708, 2026, online 23 April; the publisher labels the issue August 2026, while the university records a published date of 21 July: adolescent obesogenic high-fat diets produced sex- and diet-dependent adult action-control changes after return to normal diet. This directly supports the developmental behavioural framework, but is not isolated sugar exposure and does not already establish the proposed prefrontal mechanism. 2026 action-control paper
• Blanco Martinez de Morentin and colleagues, Gonzalez coauthor, Current Biology 34(8):1646–1656.e4, 2024, online 21 March: complementary physiological and circuit evidence identifies a functional brainstem–hypothalamic feeding pathway. This demonstrates relevant team capability and links circuit function to feeding; the region and question differ from prefrontal sugar-related decisions. Naneix is acknowledged for advice, not listed as a coauthor. 2024 feeding-circuit paper
• Martynova and González, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience 25(4):49809, 17 April 2026: an open-source capacitance-based rodent licking measurement system supports fine-grained ingestive phenotyping. It contributes quantitative behavioural measurement rather than proving a decision-making mechanism, and the advert does not mandate this device. 2026 behavioural measurement paper

The first and 2024 papers acknowledge Aberdeen Medical Research Facility, shared equipment or microscopy support, evidencing an existing institutional network. Research grants listed in papers fund particular studies and do not constitute this student's personal stipend. Naneix's profile lists a 7 July 2026 sugar/prefrontal-microcircuit presentation involving Gonzalez and Naneix: useful evidence of a current collaboration, not a peer-reviewed finding. Ask for current pilot results and plans rather than inferring success.

The two-lab design offers complementary training but creates a coordination question. Daily hands-on electrophysiology mentoring, behavioural supervision, shared meetings, current student load, equipment booking, animal approvals and contingency scope are not publicly allocated to this PhD. Rodent welfare, authorisation and responsible data handling are essential training conditions, not evidence that prior animal work is mandatory.

Funding, Application and Living Cost

Eligibility and funding

The project advertises four-year competitive funding, estimated £22,437 for 2027/28, a research/training grant of £5,000 annually in years 1–3 and £1,500 in year 4, plus £230 annual travel/conference support. The latter are research budgets, not extra living stipend. UKRI's formal doctoral stipend minimum is £21,805 from 1 October 2026; the 2027 amount requires confirmation. UKRI.

EASTBIO confirms international eligibility and caps international students at 30% of the whole network's annual intake; successful international award-holders receive an overseas tuition top-up waiver. A China-based applicant who does not meet Home-status rules can compete; eligibility is not an award. Visa/IHS are excluded. Visa holders must study full-time and normally live within commuting distance. Confirm fee coverage throughout the funded period, stipend increases and interruption/extension terms. Funding FAQ.

Application and timing

Contact the lead supervisor before applying. Apply to one EASTBIO project only. Submit one email to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk, subject “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”, containing the EASTBIO form, university-level certificates/transcripts and two official-form references; one reference may be non-academic. Referees may send directly using “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”. Both references and the application must arrive by 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT.

No proposal, extra CV, school certificates, conference papers or dissertations should be added. Incomplete or unnecessarily supplemented applications will not be considered; applicants must ensure references arrive because the university does not chase missing documents. Receipt confirmation may come after the deadline; do not chase status. The host-specific deadline takes priority over general FAQ flexibility.

The selection schedule lists 18 January supervisor nominations, 22 February interview invitations, interviews in the week of 8 March, and decisions in the week of 22 March 2027. The standard process normally nominates one candidate per project. Interview preparation should include a short account of previous research, its limitations and interest in interdisciplinary training. Nomination is not a scholarship offer. Selection.

The central 2027 instructions require the anonymous EDI survey's unique response ID in the application form. Referees must not belong to this project's supervisory team, including Naneix and Gonzalez. Non-English certificates/transcripts require originals and official English translations; confirm the accepted format with Aberdeen. These requirements do not replace the host-specific application or change its stated deadline. Central mandatory application requirements; Reference and translation FAQ.

Living costs

Official 2026/27 Aberdeen housing examples include Adam Smith House £111/week, Elphinstone Road £133 with a shared bathroom / £191 ensuite, and South House £147 with a shared bathroom / £191 ensuite, with selected 40–50-week leases. Wi-Fi is listed; room eligibility, utilities and full-year coverage require checking. These are not 2027 reservations. Housing fees, housing gateway.

Aberdeen's recommended rent-inclusive minimum is £1,171/month, or £14,052 over 12 months. The £22,437 future stipend is still estimated, so no reliable savings figure follows from subtracting this minimum budget. The benchmark follows UKVI minimum guidance rather than measured average spending. Do not count rent twice. Deposits, relocation, visa/IHS, inflation, research-related travel and PIPS costs can reduce the margin. Obtain 2027 quotes and preserve start-up liquidity. University budget guidance.

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Formal academic eligibility is a relevant UK 2:1 or international equivalent; 2:2 may be considered with achieved/expected Master's Distinction or Commendation. The advert's ideal knowledge is neuroscience, pharmacology and cellular biology; rodent experience and the described methods are advantages, not universal prior prerequisites. A strong willingness to contribute to team life is essential. A purely computational preference with no interest in animal research would poorly match the advertised daily work.

SMMSN uses Aberdeen's Postgraduate Higher English band: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, reading/writing 6.0, listening/speaking 5.5; valid One Skill Retake is accepted, and certification normally must be within two years of entry. Psychology's different reading threshold must not be imported. Confirm 2027 proof/exemption and Chinese qualification equivalence with admissions. Current English policy.

Suggested preparation is a concise account of an experiment or quantitative analysis that distinguishes inference from observation, alongside discussion of teamwork and willingness to learn rodent neuroscience. Statistics, reproducible analysis and critical comparison of behavioural versus electrophysiological evidence are useful. They are analyst suggestions, not extra admission conditions. The competition explicitly requires no research proposal; no extra proposal or CV should be appended.

Career and Transferable Skills

The skill bundle supports academic neuroscience, preclinical behavioural research, quantitative phenotyping and related life-science research. BNA's local group connects Aberdeen, Robert Gordon, NHS Grampian and other sectors, with Naneix as a representative; membership and collaboration do not establish job availability. NCS's broad biological-scientist profile gives £28,000–£53,000, not this doctorate's placement rate or neuroscience salary. Clinical practice requires a separate professional route. BNA network; Career evidence.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

Discuss the initial decision-making questions and two-lab training with Naneix. Confirm Chinese degree equivalence and Higher-band English. Make the single permitted EASTBIO application and arrange both official-form references by 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT. An eligible international applicant competes for an award; the international cap is not a quota guaranteed to each project.

At Interview

Ask which sugar-versus-metabolic comparisons and age/sex scope are central; what outcomes separate valuation, motivation and action control; and how circuit evidence will support a causal claim. Clarify existing pilot data, ethical readiness, achievable three-aim scope, behavioural/electrophysiological time balance, daily trainers and supervisory capacity. Ask what a viable thesis looks like if the proposed causal link is absent.

Before Accepting an Offer

Obtain the exact 2027 start, registered degree/code and progression milestones, four-year overseas tuition waiver, final stipend and research/travel/PIPS/extension terms in writing. Confirm animal-training time and support, twelve-month housing, visa/IHS and start-up cash. The immediate useful step is a focused supervisor discussion about the initial behavioural contrast and how the three methods form a manageable doctorate.

Evidence and Sources

The cited project and university materials describe the host, eligibility, funding and training. The listed studies provide context for the proposed mouse research but do not guarantee a particular experimental outcome. The published deadline does not confirm that applications are currently being accepted; individual eligibility and award terms require confirmation.

Project, school and training

• EASTBIO How to Apply
• EASTBIO Selection Process
• EASTBIO Training Overview
• EASTBIO PIPS current-student guidance
• University of Aberdeen REF 2021 official results
• Aberdeen postgraduate English requirements
• Aberdeen current doctoral opportunity gateway
• Rowett Institute official research environment

Supervisors, papers and field

• Fabien Naneix official profile
• Antonio Gonzalez official profile
• Adolescence obesity induces sex-specific alterations of action control
• A brainstem to hypothalamic arcuate nucleus GABAergic circuit drives feeding
• A capacitance-based system for measuring licking behaviour in rodents
• Peters and Naneix 2022 prefrontal development review
• RSE 2026 juvenile obesity research grant
• BNA Aberdeen local neuroscience group

Funding, cost and careers

• EASTBIO FAQ
• UKRI support for funded students
• Aberdeen accommodation costs 2026/27
• Aberdeen fee status and living cost guidance
• National Careers Service biological scientist profile
• Aberdeen accommodation university address