Project description
The formation of memory in vertebrates
The zebrafish has become increasingly vital to scientific research. This is because it has many characteristics that make it suitable for studying biological processes and human diseases. The EU-funded ZebraHipNetwork project, using a combination of ex vivo electrophysiological recordings and whole-brain two-photon calcium imaging, will investigate the connectivity architecture of the neural ensembles of the zebrafish hippocampal homologue. Moreover, it will elucidate what kind of information does the hippocampal homologue encode during learning and how the brain-wide neural activity changes over the course of learning in behaving animals. This project work will identify for the first time key fundamental neural mechanisms that underlie memory formation in ancestral vertebrates, demonstrating that these mechanisms and connectivity features are conserved across species.
Objective
How animals respond to their environment largely depends on their past experiences. In fact, understanding how these subjective experiences are formed and how they influence behavior is one of the ultimate goals of neuroscience. However, how memories are established in the brain is still poorly understood in mammals and even less in primitive vertebrates. Although the formation of memory has been largely studied at the single-neuron level, more recent studies have shown that the establishment of memory traces necessitates the interactions between multiple brain regions including the cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Yet, imaging across these vast brain areas is very challenging in mammals due the complexity and size of the mammalian brain. Since there are accumulating evidence illustrating that the hippocampus and amygdala are evolutionary conserved across vertebrates, here, I will use an optically transparent and genetically amenable vertebrate model that allows for brain-wide imaging of neural activity: the juvenile zebrafish. First, I will use electrophysiological and immunochemical methods to identify the major neuronal populations in the fish’s hippocampal homologue (WP1). Next, I will use a combination of electrophysiological recordings and whole-brain two-photon calcium imaging to investigate the connectivity architecture and synaptic organization of the neural ensembles of the hippocampal homologue in zebrafish brain explants (WP2). Finally, I will characterize what kind of information does the hippocampal homologue encode during learning and how does the brain-wide neural activity changes over the course of learning in behaving animals (WP3). Collectively, this project will identify, for the first time, key fundamental neural mechanisms that underlie memory formation across vertebrates and will provide a basis for future projects seeking to study complex neural computations in primitive species.
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.
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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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.
7491 TRONDHEIM
Norway
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.