Objective
Epidemiological studies indicate that cigarette smoking protects from Parkinson's disease (PD), and a recent unpublished clinical study has shown that progressively increasing doses of nicotine improve the symptoms of PD and allow patients to dramatically reduce their dosages of L-DOPA, the most widely used anti-PD treatment. How nicotine may interact with L-DOPA to enhance functioning in PD, however, remains unknown. In preliminary studies using an animal model of PD, Sokoloff and colleagues have recently found that nicotine's ability to enhance sensitivity to L-DOPA involves an increase in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and of the dopamine D3 receptor in specific brain regions.
The aim of the current project is to extend these findings and to determine the precise neurobiological mechanisms that may underlie the anti-parkinsonian properties of nicotine. To this end, behavioural, pharmacological, and electrophysiological approaches will be used to investigate the effects of repeated nicotine treatment in parkinsonian-like animals. In addition, selective pharmacological agents and mouse lines deficient in specific nicotinic receptor subunits will be used to identify the nicotinic receptor subtypes necessary for the therapeutic effects of nicotine. We expect these results to contribute to the development of new selective nicotinic therapeutic agents for the treatment of PD, and thereby directly benefit patients suffering from PD.
The project will be undertaken by a Canadian post-doctoral re searcher whose doctoral training at the University of Michigan (USA) has endowed her with excellent research skills and a number of publications in top-rated scientific journals. By supporting this and other international researchers, the European Commission will help to counter the "brain-drain" of European scientists towards American laboratories.
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.
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.
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.
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-7
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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.
IIF - Marie Curie actions-Incoming International Fellowships
Coordinator
France
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.