Descrizione del progetto
Uno sguardo più attento alla flessibilità dell’istinto di sopravvivenza
Comportamenti istintivi come la difesa, l’alimentazione e le cure parentali sono fondamentali per la sopravvivenza delle specie animali. Contrariamente alla credenza che questi comportamenti siano congeniti, in realtà essi sono adattabili e influenzati da fattori come lo stress, la fame e i cicli ormonali. In quest’ottica, il progetto CoreInstincts, finanziato dal CER, si concentrerà sulla regione del grigio periacqueduttale (GPA) nel tronco encefalico. Studiando le proprietà cellulari e di rete del GPA nei topi, in particolare durante i conflitti motivazionali e i cambiamenti ormonali, il progetto cerca di scoprire come questa regione cerebrale modula i comportamenti istintivi. Questa ricerca potrebbe migliorare significativamente la nostra comprensione delle basi neurali e molecolari dei comportamenti adattivi, con particolare attenzione ai processi cerebrali femminili.
Obiettivo
Instinctive behaviours that achieve defence, feeding, aggression and parental care have evolved across animal phyla to ensure survival without the need for learning. Contrary to common belief, instinctive behaviours are not ‘hard-wired’ reflexes, but can be flexible in both action selection and execution. They are modulated by internal states, such as stress, hunger or oestrous cycle, and may undergo short- and long-lasting adaptations in order to accommodate environmental changes and individual needs. The aim of this proposal is to gain a mechanistic understanding of adaptive instinctive behaviour output within a quantitative neuroethological framework and by combining molecular, cellular and circuit-level approaches. I will focus on the vertebrate periaqueductal gray (PAG), an evolutionarily conserved brainstem region that plays a crucial role in the initiation and execution of virtually all instinctive behaviours. Despite this, a comprehensive analysis of the cellular and network properties of the PAG, and their behavioural correlates, is lacking. In addition to generating the first dataset of PAG network topology using high resolution in vitro anatomical and electrophysiological approaches, we will study its neural computations across multiple instinctive behaviours and during motivational conflict using neural activity recordings in freely behaving mice. Building on these results, we will test the role of neuromodulation in imparting flexibility to this circuit (and the selection of appropriate behaviours), focussing on naturally-occurring neuromodulatory changes during the oestrous cycle. By establishing how the PAG – a critical circuit that closely precedes motor neuron recruitment – controls and imparts flexibility to instinctive behaviours, this proposal will expand our knowledge on the neural and molecular basis of adaptive behavioural output that is fundamental for the survival of all animals, with an emphasis on the female brain.
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
80539 Munchen
Germania