Descripción del proyecto
El papel de la oxitocina en la comunicación de cerebro a cerebro
La visión y la comunicación acústica son esenciales en la comunicación entre todos los primates. Sin embargo, la base neuronal de la acústica, regulada por la neurohormona oxitocina, sigue estando en gran medida sin explorar, a pesar de su significativo papel terapéutico en la conducta social y en la coordinación de la comunicación de cerebro a cerebro durante las interacciones. En este contexto, el proyecto MarmOT, financiado con fondos europeos, propone un estudio que se centrará en mecanismos neuronales y conductuales donde la oxitocina influye en la comunicación acústica de los primates. El proyecto combinará las técnicas más avanzadas, como la manipulación quimiogenética de las neuronas de la oxitocina y la electrofisiología inalámbrica, en monos tití. Los resultados del estudio tendrán un impacto significativo en la ciencia.
Objetivo
Primates interact with each other primarily through visual and acoustic communication. However, while primate social vision has been extensively studied, little is known about the neuronal basis of acoustic communication in primates. More specifically, we ignore how oxytocin, a neurohormone that regulates social behavior in mammals and a promising therapeutic target for psychiatric disorders, modulates acoustic communication. Based on preliminary evidence, I hypothesize that oxytocin (1) acts in the auditory cortex to increase signal to noise ratio in response to social auditory stimuli, (2) is required for normal communication behavior and (3) is critical to brain-to-brain coordination between two interacting individuals. This Global Fellowship proposal has been designed to unveil how oxytocin influences primates’ acoustic communication at the neuronal and behavioral levels. To do so, I will combine state of the art techniques, such as chemogenetic manipulation of oxytocin neurons and wireless electrophysiology, in marmoset monkeys. This highly vocal primate is key to this project and a rapidly growing animal model in neuroscience. I will learn to work with them during my Outgoing phase in San Diego (USA) and transfer this knowledge back to Europe during the incoming phase, by participating in the inception of a marmoset laboratory in Lyon (France). This project will greatly enhance my career opportunities in academia as it will give me a unique theoretical and technical background. It will place me in a good spot to explore innovative research pathways, with a great potential scientific impact. All the outcomes from MarmOT will be published strictly following the Open Science objective of H2020. Finally, I propose innovative ways to disseminate the results of my experiments in order to reach all types of audience, by collaborating with a local Zoo or contacting Youtubers.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
75794 Paris
Francia