Project description
Why some brains learn faster than others
Why can some people learn faster than others? It is a question that keeps puzzling neuroscientists. Even closely related animals, or individuals of the same species, can learn at different speeds. The biological roots of this variation are still largely unknown. The ERC-funded SMART project aims to solve the mystery with fruit fly larvae. Specifically, it will compare fast and slow learners, looking at everything from the way their brain cells connect to which genes switch on during learning. The idea is to uncover what actually makes one brain better at learning than another. The findings could completely change how we think about the brain. This could also open doors to new treatments for learning and memory problems.
Objective
Across the animal kingdom, closely-related species can differ in their learning ability, as can different
individuals of the same species, but the underlying causes of these differences are poorly understood.
Differences in learning could be due to different structural and functional properties of learning circuits which
in turn result from different patterns of gene expression. However, identifying homologous learning circuit
neurons in different species for comparing their synaptic connectivity, cellular-resolution functional properties
and transcriptomes is challenging in larger brains.
We have identified a strain of Drosophila melanogaster larvae that learns faster (after fewer training trials)
than others and a closely related Drosophilid species that learns faster than the D. melanogaster strains. We
will use this tractable genetic model system to compare learning circuits in faster/better and slower/worselearner
strains and species, in particular, their synaptic resolution connectomes; cellular-resolution activity
maps; and transcriptomes. We will then screen the differentially expressed genes to identify those that improve
learning and determine the way in which they affect connectivity and functional properties of learning circuits.
This project will reveal the architectural features of learning circuits that enhance learning and memory, as
well as the molecules that can transform slow/worse- into fast/better-learners and their mechanisms of action.
Uncovering the underlying structural, functional and genetic causes of variability in learning will not only
have a major impact on neuroscience but could also potentially inspire the development of better architectures
and algorithms for artificial intelligence and provide new avenues for treating learning and memory deficits.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA transcriptomes
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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) ERC-2024-ADG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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.