Project description
Understanding the striatal CB1 receptor’s role in defensive strategies
Organisms use either active (escape) or passive (freeze) defensive strategies, depending on the threat they face, a balance referred to as the Active-Passive Trade-off (APT). Disruptions in APT can lead to maladaptive behaviours, contributing to anxiety and post-traumatic stress. However, despite extensive research, the mechanisms regulating APT remain elusive. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DefenCB1 project explores the role of CB1 receptors in fear-coping behaviour and their impact on the balance between active and passive defensive responses. It hypothesises that CB1 receptors in the striatum play a crucial role in orchestrating defensive reactions. It will study how various subpopulations of CB1 receptors in the striatum influence defensive styles and provide insight into the mechanisms governing defensive responses.
Objective
"Defensive behaviours are fundamental for survival. Due to threat diversity, organisms adopt active (e.g. escape) or passive (e.g. freeze) defensive strategies to respond accordingly. The balance between active and passive responses can be defined as ""Active-Passive Trade-off"" (APT) and disruptions in this process may trigger maladaptive behaviours underlying anxiety and post-traumatic stress conditions, the most common psychiatric disorders in humans. Despite the abundant literature on defensive processes, the mechanisms regulating APT remain unexplained.
Building upon the recently discovered role of cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors in fear-coping behaviour, I will elucidate their involvement in the active-passive balance of defensive responses. Herein, we hypothesize that striatal CB1 receptors are critical switches regulating APT, representing key orchestrators of defensive responses. To tackle this, I will i) expose constitutive, cell type and subcellular-specific CB1 mutant mice to ethologically-relevant paradigms designed to assess APT under comparable conditions of innate or acquired threat exposure, ii) dissect how different striatal CB1 subpopulations control APT and iii) characterize underlying CB1-mediated mechanisms, to provide the first evidence of how CB1 receptors regulate different defensive styles. To achieve this, I will combine my expertise in neuropharmacology, behaviour and machine learning with that of the host lab in cannabinoid biology, circuit manipulation and molecular biology.
By leveraging cutting-edge behavioural, viral-genetic and bioinformatic tools and expertise from specialists in the field, DefenCB1 will shed light on new mechanisms regulating defensive responses and provide important insights into how striatal CB1 receptors may be implicated in threat response and psychiatric disorders characterized by maladaptive coping. It will also advance my skills and propel my career as an independent researcher in neuropsychopharmacology."
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.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2023-PF-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
75654 PARIS
France
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.