Objective
Prosociality—the act of assisting others—is essential for survival across species. It encompasses key cognitive and emotional components, including empathic responses to distress, cognitive problem-solving for assessing needs, and the willingness to take risks to help. However, neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and psychopathy are characterized by intact or enhanced cognitive abilities, yet they display significant deficits in prosocial behavior. This raises the question: what neurobiological mechanisms underlie this phenomenon?
The hippocampus, with its functional differentiation along the dorsoventral axis, offers an ideal framework for investigation. The dorsal hippocampus (dHC) is believed to play a key role in cognitive processing, whereas the ventral hippocampus (vHC) is primarily associated with emotional information processing. Although dHC and vHC communicate, the specific neural mechanisms underlying this interaction remain elusive.
This proposal will investigate the hypothesis that communication between dHC and vHC is crucial for prosocial behavior. By monitoring the same cell populations across various cognitive and prosocial tasks, I will identify which circuit activities are generalizable and which are task-specific. I will utilize advanced imaging, electrophysiology, tracing and optogenetics techniques to examine the communication between dHC and vHC, external modulation of this circuit, its recruitment and causal role during cognitive and prosocial tasks. Finally, I will use animal models of autism and psychopathy to test the hypothesis that impaired communication between the dHC and vHC underlies the disrupted interaction between cognition and emotion in these disorders. This research may provide valuable insights into the neurobiological basis of prosocial behavior and its deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders
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.
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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
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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) ERC-2025-STG
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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.
1090 WIEN
Austria
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.