Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-05-29

Functional and structural analysis of higher olfactory circuits in Drosophila

Objective

My long-term scientific goal is to understand the links between genes and behaviour. For this purpose I use Drosophila as a model system because it is genetically tractable while having a complex behavioural repertoire. My past research at Stanford University focused on the development of highly specific wiring in olfactory circuits. Research supported by the IRG will develop this theme by investigating the functional properties of these circuits. I will develop very high-resolution wiring maps of genetically identified neurons in higher olfactory centres.

These will initially be based on high-resolution con-focal microscopy combined with novel image registration techniques. In parallel I will also employ a novel serial block-face scanning electron microscopy technique (SBFSEM), which allows large brain volumes to be reconstructed at up to 10nm resolution. I will then apply state of the art whole cell patch clamp techniques to record the activity of these neurons in intact animals responding to odours. By recording from neurons at successive levels of olfactory processing I hope to understand the integration and transformation of raw sensory information that underlies olfactory perception. Recording from pairs of identified neurons that I predict to be connected by neuro anatomical criteria will be a key part of understanding this information processing.

These circuit studies are an essential prerequisite to my long-term goal of understanding the relationship between genes and neural circuits and the relationship between neural circuits and behaviour. Ultimately I hope to gain new insights into the functional properties of the nervous system and how they may be encoded within the genome.

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.

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)

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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP6-2002-MOBILITY-12
See other projects for this call

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.

IRG - Marie Curie actions-International re-integration grants

Coordinator

THE CHANCELLORS, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THEUNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
EU contribution
No data
Total cost

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.

No data
My booklet 0 0