Project description
Unveiling the secrets of nature's most remarkable locomotion
The puzzle of animal locomotion has long baffled scientists. How does an organism seamlessly blend brain commands with body movements to navigate its world? While we know much about descending brain signals, the role of ascending proprioceptive information remains shrouded in mystery. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BottomUpFly project will study the ascending signals that guide an organism’s movements when its trajectory deviates from the intended path. By leveraging Drosophila melanogaster’s versatile toolkit, researchers will pinpoint the sources, analyse functional distinctions, and decode the integration of these signals within brain circuits. The BottomUpFly project holds the key to understanding the pivotal role of proprioception in decision-making and higher-order brain functions, shedding light on the artistry of nature's locomotion.
Objective
Locomotion is one of the most relevant tasks of nervous systems, allowing animals to approach food, locate a mate, and escape predators. Most types of locomotion, like walking and flying, are based on rhythmic body movements generated by local premotor networks in the nerve cord, whereas the goal of where to move is generated in the brain e.g. a hungry fly visually locating a food source. For flexible, goal-directed locomotion, the communication between the brain and premotor networks in the nerve cord must be bidirectional. However, in contrast to descending commands from the brain, little is known about proprioceptive signals ascending from the nerve cord's premotor networks.
We hypothesize that ascending information plays a vital role in decision-making and action selection processes. Before commanding the body to change direction, or to keep it from doing so to maintain a straight path, brain circuits need to consider the current stability of the body, its walking speed and direction. In this project we aim to characterize the ascending signals determining the direction of upcoming turns if the flys trajectory deviates from the intended one.
We will identify the source of the ascending information, characterize functional differences of ascending information pathways, and determine their integration within brain circuits by harnessing the vast toolkit of Drosophila melanogaster and combining the expertise of the Chiappe group on sensorimotor integration in the brain of walking Drosophila with mine on networks controlling walking in the ventral nerve cord. This work will deepen our understanding of the function of proprioception in higher order brain functions, action selection, and decision-making.
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)
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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-2022-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.
1400-038 LISBOA
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.