Project description
Studying early-life stress and brain development
Early-life stress has a profound impact on adult resilience, well-being and mental health. The presence of a caregiver during early life fosters safety, encourages exploratory behaviour and supports proper brain development. But we lack an in-depth study of real-time stress experiences and the intricate interplay of stress regulation mechanisms. With this in mind, the EU-funded ROSEBuD project explores the effects of early-life stress and stress management, both with and without caregiver involvement. The project will investigate physiological and endocrine synchrony, brain structure and functional connectivity, and their influence on memory formation. ROSEBuD will run a combination of naturalistic experiments involving mild stressors, caregiver presence, cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques, advanced physiological measurements and analytical methods.
Objective
Early-life stress and its regulation define adult resilience on stress, well-being, and mental health. Previous research shows that the presence of a caregiver during early life is important for stress regulation, enabling safety feelings, exploratory behaviour, and regulation-related brain development. However, real-time stress experiences have not been examined in those studies and only selective parameters of the stress regulation mechanism have been considered, rather than multiple modalities and their complex interaction. ROSEBuD aims to describe the mechanisms of early-life stress and stress regulation, with and without the presence of a caregiver, in terms of physiological and endocrine synchrony (O1), brain structure and functional connectivity (O2), as well as on effects on memory formation (O3). The project tackles the limitations of existing research with the innovative combination of (a) a naturalistic experimental setting, i.e. real-time exposure to mild, school-like stressors and similar to real-life presence of a caregiver,(b) multi-modal data acquisition, incl. cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques (Diffusion Tensor Imaging, DTI-MRI, and magnetoencephalography, MEG) for optimal spatial and temporal resolution in the study of structural and functional connectivity, (c) state-of-the-art measures of neuroendocrine and physiological synchrony and memory, and (d) advanced analytical methods. Bridging interdisciplinary expertise in stress and memory research (outgoing phase, CISA, Geneva; supervised by Prof. Rimmele) and multilevel and MEG analyses (return phase, FORTH, Heraklion; supervised by Prof. Simos), ROSEBuD project aspires to make an important, timely and impactful contribution to basic and applied research, as well as to the society, informing about the crucial role of early-life stress regulation. Lastly, this work will enable me to synthesize and expand my research interests and skills, and promote my academic or non-academic career prospects.
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-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global 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.
70 013 IRAKLEIO
Greece
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.