Project description
Do crustaceans feel pain?
The question of whether crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans can feel emotions, including pain, has sparked debate, especially given its implications for fisheries and aquaculture. Unlike vertebrates, crustaceans have a dispersed central nervous system without a central brain, making it challenging to demonstrate awareness of pain. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MACS project aims to overcome this by applying advanced technology to measure nine simultaneous nerve signals in crustaceans. This includes developing an EEG for crustaceans, characterising pain and stress through physiological and molecular indicators, and evaluating behavioural responses. By understanding the nociceptive pathways, MACS will provide insights into crustacean welfare, potentially influencing industry practices and addressing public concerns about animal welfare.
Objective
Crustacean sentience (the capacity of this group to experience emotions) has sparked a heated debate across multiple disciplines, particularly as it could impact several major sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture. The outdated argument that animals do not experience negative emotions (such as pain) because they lack conscience, has been proven wrong for vertebrates and some invertebrates (e.g. octopus), but remains controversial for crustaceans. There is evidence of criteria consistent with the idea of pain, as crustaceans have and activate nociceptive pathways, but there is no evidence of the neural pathways integrating the responses nor the demonstration of the awareness thereafter. This is partly due to the ‘dispersed’ central nervous system (CNS) these animals present, with multiple ganglia, but no ‘brain’ as a focal point. To overcome this, MACS aims to apply new technology to measure 9 simultaneous nerve signals (8 ganglia and the heart) to fully understand the nociceptive pathways and how are they integrated in crustaceans’ CNS. This approach will tackle the principle of triangulation by (1) The development of an electroencephalogram (EEG) to record the nervous system of commercially important crustacean species; (2) the characterization of pain and stress through physiological and molecular animal-based indicators; and (3) the evaluation of behaviour and its neurological integration pathway. As such, this multidisciplinary study will only be possible through a combination of my crustacean stress physiology background, my supervisor’s knowledge of the central nervous system anatomy, and my second supervisor's expertise in aquatic species' EEG. The outcome of this fellowship will range from CNS studies to validate current industrial practices (during a non-academic placement), to socio-economic impacts involving the society's concern for animal welfare. The knowledge and skills gained from this project will allow me to become an independent researcher.
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.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries fisheries
- social sciences psychology behavioural psychology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
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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)
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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-2023-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.
28006 MADRID
Spain
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.