Objective
The idea that neurogenesis in the mammalian brain only takes place during development has been abandoned. One of the two regions where neurogenesis takes place in the adult mammalian brain is the sub-granular zone in the dentate gyrus. Although accumulating evidence suggests that newborn neurons in the adult dentate gyrus have a role in learning and memory, current methods using ablation and IEG mapping techniques have not been able to reveal what stimuli new neurons are activated by or what kind of information new neurons’s spiking activity encodes during behaviour, because of controversial results in ablation studies and poor temporal resolution of IEG mapping. In this project, we aim to develop a novel technical approach overcoming this limitation and to determine dynamic neuronal activity of new neurons at temporal resolution of single spikes. We combine multiple single-unit in vivo recording with optogenetics to identify and subsequently measure the activity of adult newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus during behaviour. The Channelrhodopsin gene encoding a light-sensitive cation channel will be delivered into newborn neurons using viral vectors. In this way, we are able to tag the newborn neurons so that they respond to light stimulation by generating action potentials. Light-induced action potentials will be used to identify activity of targeted neurons in behaving animals. Using this method we will be the first to record the natural activity of newborn neurons in the hippocampus. Based on the previous findings suggesting the involvement of new neurons in spatial memory formation, we hypothesize that new neurons are involved in spatial information processing by exhibiting place-cell activity, which fires action potentials corresponding to specific animal’s locations. In order to test this hypothesis, we will examine activity of newborn neurons during spatial exploration. This way we can directly test their hypothesized involvement in learning and memory.
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.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF
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.
Coordinator
7491 Trondheim
Norway
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.