Project description
Exploring the impacts of psychedelics on mood and depression
The lateral habenula (LHb) and dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN) play crucial roles in mood regulation and reward processing. The LHb inhibits dopamine systems and is involved in processing aversive stimuli, while the DRN is a primary source of serotonin, influencing mood and the development of depression. Disruptions in the circuitry between these regions are linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders. Psychedelics have been shown to reduce LHb hyperactivity by altering neural inputs or modulating neuronal excitability. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PsyHab project will use viral tracing and fibre photometry techniques to examine how psychedelics modulate DRN-LHb projections and assess the resulting effects on animal behaviour.
Objective
The lateral habenula (LHb) and dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN) are key structures in the brain involved in mood regulation, reward processing, and aversive signaling. The LHb is a small, yet critical brain region that acts as a major negative regulator of midbrain dopamine systems. It plays a significant role in processing aversive stimuli and encoding negative reward prediction errors, which are crucial for adaptive behaviors and decision-making processes. The DRN, on the other hand, is the primary source of serotonergic projections to various brain regions and is a key structure involved in mood regulation and the pathophysiology of depression. Understanding the precise anatomical and functional connections between the LHb and DRN is essential, as disruptions in the LHb-DRN circuitry are believed to contribute to various neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety.
Psychedelics have garnered significant interest in both clinical and neuropharmacological research due to their profound effects on perception, cognition, and mood. Their influence on the activity of the LHb is not yet fully understood, but we hypothesize that it could potentially reduce the hyperactivity of the LHb by altering its neural inputs or by modulating the overall excitability of the neurons within the LHb.
The proposed research is aimed at examining how psychedelics affect LHb-DRN circuitry in the Lipopolysaccharide model of depression. We will combine viral tracing, in situ sequencing, fiber photometry, chemogenetics, and unsupervised learning in order to evaluate the effects that psychedelics exert on projections from DRN to LHb, and how those translate into changes in animal behavior. The proposed research will contribute to a better understanding of the antidepressant potential of psychedelics and help to improve pharmacotherapy of affective disorders. The applicant will acquire new skills, and the experience to launch and lead his own research group in the future.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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250 67 Klecany
Czechia
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