Project description
Impact of social isolation on people’s health
Sociability or a lack of human contact are factors in mortality prediction. However, the biological mechanisms underlying sociability are not fully understood. The EU-funded NotSOSTRESSED project will investigate the sociability neurocircuitry in the model system Drosophila melanogaster. The project relies on the idea that the presence of others regulates an individual’s response to an environmental stressor. NotSOSTRESSED will delineate sensory cues and receptors modulating social context-dependent stress responses, identify neurons processing sensory information relevant to stress, map higher brain stress-responsive foci integrating stressor and social information, and dissect the hormonal pathway effectuating social-regulated stress responses. The project will address the current knowledge gap in behavioural and translational neurosciences.
Objective
Sociability –an individual's tendency to engage in group interactions– is a fundamental property of life. Recently, sociability has been identified as a strong mortality predictor in humans. Although affecting health, we lack an understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying sociability. I here propose that the presence of others modulates an individual's response to an environmental stressor. Being evolutionary conserved, I will investigate the sociability neurocircuitry in the model system Drosophila melanogaster. I will tackle this by focussing on 4 objectives: WP1) Delineation of sensory cues and receptors modulating social context-dependent stress responses through behavioural analysis of candidate receptor gene mutations, targeted RNAi and pheromonal bioassays, WP2) Identification of neurons processing sensory information relevant to stress by functional investigation of the neurocircuitry connecting mechanosensory, pheromonal and temperature stress sensing through connectome, trans-Tango and optogenetic approaches, WP3) Mapping of higher brain stress-responsive foci integrating stressor and social information through Ca2+-imaging, WP4) Dissection of the hormonal pathway effectuating social-regulated stress responses via tissue-targeted genetic knockdown and overexpression of pathway components and stress response assays. Addressing key questions relevant to human health will bring scientific Excellence and Innovative advances to the current knowledge gap in Behavioural, Neuro & translational sciences which will be communicated to the scientific and general public. The fellowship will enhance my personal research potential and career perspectives by acquiring novel scientific and transferable skills, training of myself and others and increase my international mobility, network and interdisciplinary transfer though secondments. This proposal is in line with the Horizon2020 Responsible research & innovation objective 'Science with and for Society’.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- social sciences sociology demography mortality
- medical and health sciences health sciences
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
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.