Objective
The mammalian cerebral cortex was subject to a dramatic expansion in surface area during evolution. This process is recapitulated during development and is accompanied by folding of the cortical sheet, which allows fitting a large cortical surface within a limited cranial volume. A loss of cortical folds is linked to severe intellectual impairment in humans, so cortical folding is believed to be crucial for brain function. However, developmental mechanisms responsible for cortical folding, and the influence of this on cortical function, remain largely unknown. The goal of this proposal is to understand the genetic and cellular mechanisms that control the developmental expansion and folding of the cerebral cortex, and what is the impact of these processes on its functional organization. Human studies have identified genes essential for the proper folding of the human cerebral cortex. Genetic manipulations in mice have unraveled specific functions for some of those genes in the development of the cerebral cortex. But because the mouse cerebral cortex does not fold naturally, the mechanisms of cortical expansion and folding in larger brains remain unknown. We will study these mechanisms on ferret, an ideal model with a naturally folded cerebral cortex. We will combine the advantages of ferrets with cell biology, genetics and next-generation transcriptomics, together with state-of-the-art in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches, including in vivo imaging of functional columnar maps. The successful execution of this project will provide insights into developmental and genetic risk factors for anomalies in human cortical topology, and into mechanisms responsible for the early formation of cortical functional maps.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics topology
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
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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-2012-StG_20111109
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
28006 Madrid
Spain
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.