Descrizione del progetto
L’adattamento flessibile della rete «multiuso» può aiutare a ripristinare le funzioni cerebrali perse
Molte regioni cerebrali e tipi di cellule rispondono ed elaborano selettivamente tipi specifici di informazioni. Al contrario, un po’ come le competenze trasferibili o trasversali nel mercato del lavoro, le reti generali del cervello vengono attivate per molti compiti cognitivi impegnativi diversi. Il progetto FLEXBRAIN, finanziato dall’UE, sta studiando la capacità di queste reti generali di compensare le interruzioni nelle reti di cognizione semantica che ci consentono di usare, manipolare e generalizzare le conoscenze. Inoltre, il gruppo di ricerca valuterà la capacità delle reti generali di consentire un adattamento flessibile alle lesioni più in generale, e persino di compensare le menomazioni nel cervello che invecchia, attraverso esperimenti di stimolazione neurale in cervelli giovani e anziani.
Obiettivo
The human brain is flexible. Neural networks adapt to cognitive demands by flexibly recruiting different regions and connections. Flexible network adaptation enables cognitive functions such as semantic cognition: the ability to use, manipulate, and generalize knowledge. When key nodes suffer damage, networks can adapt to recover function. Yet, brain lesions often severely impair semantic cognition. How the semantic network adapts to lesions is poorly understood. My hypothesis is that disruption of the semantic network can be compensated for by recruitment of domain-general networks. This notion is based on findings that disruption of semantic nodes inhibits semantic activity but increases activity in domain-general nodes. Yet, the behavioral relevance of domain-general recruitment is unclear. Compensation means that behavior can be preserved as other nodes work harder. Can domain-general networks effectively compensate for disruption of specialized nodes? Is this a common principle of flexible adaptation in the healthy young, aging, and lesioned brain? Unprecedented inhibitory and facilitatory neurostimulation will be used to unbalance and rebalance network adaptation in semantic cognition. Importantly, a novel network stimulation approach will target multiple nodes simultaneously. I ask three questions. (i) Can domain-general networks compensate for semantic network disruption? (ii) Is domain-general recruitment in the aging brain adaptive? (iii) Do domain-general networks drive flexible adaptation to lesions? Perturbing young brains will elucidate the relevance of network adaptation. Perturbing aging brains will probe compensatory reorganization. Facilitating lesioned brains will reshape flexible adaptation. Benefitting from my strong neurostimulation experience, we will elucidate the way the brain compensates for disruption. The potential impact of the project on current conceptions of brain plasticity, and for rehabilitative medicine in particular, is immense.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
04109 Leipzig
Germania