Optogenetic analysis of neural circuits controlling behavior in zebrafish

Project Information

ZF OPTOGENETICS

Grant agreement ID: 251727

Project closed

Start date 1 July 2010

End date 30 June 2012

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 177 065,20

EU contribution € 177 065,20

Coordinated by

Novartis Forschungsstiftung
Switzerland

Objective

The aim of this project is to understand how behaviours are controlled by neuronal circuits in zebrafish. Genetic methods such as the Gal4-UAS system will be used to express the light-gated cation channel channelrhodopsin-2 and the light-gated chloride pump halorhodopsin in defined neuronal populations. These optogenetic tools permit the stimulation (channelrhodopsin) or inhibition (halorhodopsin) of genetically targeted neurons by light in transparent zebrafish in vivo. Effects of these manipulations on behavior will be examined in forward and reverse behavioral screens. In forward experiments, swimming behaviors evoked by uniform or patterned stimulation of neurons will be analyzed in an unbiased manner. In reverse experiments, the effect of silencing defined populations of neurons will be evaluated in the context of an olfactory discrimination learning paradigm. The identification of defined neuronal populations involved in different behaviours will then serve as the starting point for the anatomical and functional analysis of the underlying circuits. The connectivity of the identified neuronal populations will be examined by anatomical methods and transsynaptic viral tracers. The function of neuronal circuits will be analyzed using 2-photon calcium imaging and electrophysiological methods. This integrated approach is expected to provide novel insights into the principles of information processing in the brain and establish a direct relationship between neuronal circuit function and behaviour.

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.

• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › alkaline earth metals
• social sciences › sociology › social issues › social inequalities
• natural sciences › mathematics › pure mathematics › mathematical analysis › functional analysis
• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › data science › data processing

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Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF - Marie Curie Action: "Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

Novartis Forschungsstiftung

• EU contribution: € 177 065,20
• Address: Maulbeerstrasse 66 ; 4058 BASEL ; Switzerland
• Activity type: Research Organisations
• Total cost: No data