MOLECULAR EVOLUTION OF HUMAN COGNITION

Projektinformationen

PKB140404

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 12777

Startdatum 1 Juni 2005

Enddatum 31 Mai 2008

Finanziert unter

• Policy support: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Gesamtkosten € 2 449 300,00

EU-Beitrag € 1 480 000,00

Koordiniert durch

MAX PLANCK GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V.
Germany

Ziel

Major changes in the structure, functional complexity, and size of the brain led to the cognitive abilities of extant humans. Adaptive changes in early hominoid evolution likely laid the foundation for more recent changes on the human lineage. We will use an integrated approach ? bridging cognitive neuroscience and molecular evolution ? to identify and characterize recent molecular innovations involved in cognitive abilities unique to humans. We will achieve this by comparing humans and apes using the fo llowing three complementary strategies: 1) We will identify ?human cognition? genes that originated recently on the primate lineage by gene duplication and show signatures of adaptive evolution (genome level). 2) Comparative expression analyses between human and ape brains will shed light on differences that evolved at the transcriptome and proteome levels. We will distinguish between neutral and selective expression changes. 3) We will pinpoint genes associated with higher cognitive function in humans by a comparative study of a complex neurocognitive disorder (schizophrenia) and normal controls (transcript level, proteome level). The functional relevance of changes in candidate genes derived from approaches 1-3 will be elucidated using transgenic m ice. We will cross different transgenic mouse lines to combine candidate genes with the long-term goal to reconstruct adaptive changes that led to the emergence of neurological functions that form the basis of aspects of human cognitive abilities. Our ap proach and the groups involved provide a highly interdisciplinary framework (molecular evolution, bioinformatics, molecular neuroscience, and clinical psychiatry). Thus, it reflects the spirit of the program and is likely to foster to high-quality resear ch that is likely to attract wide interest in society at large.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

• natural sciences › biological sciences › zoology › mammalogy › primatology
• natural sciences › biological sciences › neurobiology › cognitive neuroscience
• natural sciences › biological sciences › biochemistry › biomolecules › proteins › proteomics
• natural sciences › biological sciences › molecular biology › molecular evolution
• natural sciences › biological sciences › molecular biology › molecular neuroscience

Programm/Programme

• FP6-POLICIES - Policy support: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Thema/Themen

• NEST-2003-1 - Adventure activities

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

FP6-2003-NEST-PATH
Andere Projekte für diesen Aufruf anzeigen

Finanzierungsplan

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Koordinator

MAX PLANCK GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V.

• EU-Beitrag: Keine Daten
• Adresse: Hofgartenstrasse 8 ; MUENCHEN ; Deutschland
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten

Beteiligte (2)

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTER AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Vereinigtes Königreich

• EU-Beitrag: Keine Daten
• Adresse: The Old School, Trinity Lane ; CAMBRIDGE
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten

UNIVERSITE DE LAUSANNE

Schweiz

• EU-Beitrag: Keine Daten
• Adresse: Batiment du Rectorat et de l'Administration (BRA) ; LAUSANNE
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten