Project description
Exploring the prodromal phase of Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stays in a prodromal phase over many years before the manifestation of cognitive decline. Complex molecular and cellular alterations during the prodromal phase result in aberrant synaptic activity and chronic inflammation, leading to neuronal death. Preliminary data shows that melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) synaptic regulatory function is impaired in a mouse model of early AD and AD patients. MCH regulates the expression of multiple genes that control neuronal activity and of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), which is essential for the synthesis of lipids involved in the inflammation process. The EU-funded SynLip project will study how MCH /COX2 interaction affects neuronal lipid metabolism and its contribution to neuroinflammation and the onset of cognitive decline.
Objective
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients stay in a prodromal phase over many years before robust cognitive decline. During this phase, complex molecular events lead to cellular alterations, resulting in aberrant synaptic activity and chronic inflammation which leads to neuronal death and cognitive impairment. My unpublished work, shows that melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) regulates synaptic function and revealed that the MCH system is impaired in a mouse model of early AD and AD patients. I showed that MCH regulates the neuronal expression of multiple immediate early genes that control neuronal activity, and more interestingly the expression of Ptgs2/COX2. COX2 catalyzes the formation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins from arachidonic acid but upon activity change it produces specialized pro-resolving mediators. Thus, precise COX2 levels and activity are essential to regulate the synthesis of bioactive lipids involved in the initiation and arrest of inflammation. Ptgs2/COX2 is expressed in excitatory neurons and a link to synaptic function, seizure and neuroinflammation-associated to seizure has been established. My preliminary data shows that excitatory neurons from a mouse model of early AD that displays MCH-system dysfunction, aberrant synaptic activity and neuroinflammation have altered Ptgs2 expression. Together with genetic studies that place lipid metabolism as a mediator of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, this suggest that COX2 can play a critical role in the neuron-microglia interaction during the prodromal phase of AD. I hypothesize that impaired MCH system leads to aberrant neuronal activity and increased Ptgs2 expression, increasing pro-inflammatory mediators and recruiting microglia activation. Here, I will study how MCH-system/Ptgs2 interaction affects neuronal lipid metabolism and test if it regulates neuron-microglia communication contributing to neuroinflammation and to the onset of cognitive decline.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
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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.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.4.1.5 - Fostering brain circulation of researchers and excellence initiatives
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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-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-02
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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.
4704 553 Braga
Portugal
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.