Objective
Active perception relies on the concerted activity of populations of neurons in the cerebral cortex. These neuronal populations communicate via dense local and long-range connections, forming complex cortical circuits. While we are beginning to understand the elementary building blocks of such circuits during sensory processing, the circuit-level mechanisms by which top-down signals modulate sensory activity are largely unknown.
The core of my proposal is to dissect the cortical circuits underlying top-down guided visual perception during active behaviour. The primary innovation of this proposal is to seek large-scale recordings from single neurons of identified type across all cortical layers in an actively behaving animal performing a well- controlled perceptual task.
In Aim 1 we will develop novel paradigms to perform in the mouse visual perception experiments that achieve the ‘gold-standard’ in experimental control set by the behaving monkey. We will train mice in psychophysical tasks that offer exquisite control over the visual stimulus and the behavioural response, yield hundreds of trials per session, can be easily combined with recordings of neuronal activity and allow the manipulation of top-down factors.
In Aim 2 we will conduct, for the first time, a detailed, circuit-level analysis of top-down modulations of sensory processing in visual cortex. Specifically, we will identify inhibitory interneurons in the neuronal population with optogenetic techniques and ask how behavioural relevance modulates activity for different cell types.
This work will bring us closer to a functional explanation of active perception and will bridge the gap between two hitherto disconnected fields: it will open up questions of Cognitive Neuroscience for the field of Cellular Neuroscience.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-StG_20101109
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
72074 Tuebingen
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.