Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Restorative Plasticity At Corticostriatal Excitatory Synapses

Objective

Long-lasting, activity-dependent synaptic changes are thought to underlie the ability of the brain to translate experiences into memories and seem to represent the cellular model underlying learning and memory processes. Alteration of brain plasticity may lead to the motor and cognitive disturbances observed in neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic approaches targeting synaptic plasticity could prevent neuronal degeneration and restore altered motor and cognitive functions. Long-term synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and long-term depression, are widely expressed at excitatory synapses throughout the brain and have both been described at corticostriatal connections, at which they might underlie motor-skill learning, cognitive performance and reward mechanisms. Unique feature of corticostriatal plasticity is the observation that the loss of these opposite forms of synaptic plasticity has been observed in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). REPLACES will use cortical striatal plasticity and its alterations in experimental PD to explore basic mechanisms of brain plasticity and repair and to translate the new generated knowledge into novel restorative therapeutic approaches. The long-term efficacy of new treatments for PD will be conditioned by their ability to restore, structurally and functionally, the synaptic wiring of striatal neurons and physiological synaptic plasticity. REPLACES addresses the potential restorative effects of either novel pharmacological treatments or neuronal transplants on the corticostriatal microcircuitry. Since chronic treatment with DA precursor L-DOPA induces in the majority of PD patients a maladaptative plasticity causing dyskinesia, innovative strategies should prevent the development of this disabling condition. REPLACES will characterize corticostriatal synaptic plasticity from molecular aspects to clinical neurophysiology involving behavioural and morphological analysis.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-HEALTH-2007-B
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.

CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research project

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
EU contribution
€ 619 957,49
Address
Via Festa Del Perdono 7
20122 Milano
Italy

See on map

Region
Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

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.

No data

Participants (11)

My booklet 0 0