Objective
Fearful traumatic experiences can lead to the formation of traumatic memories that are frequently associated with persistent psychopathologies. The main aim of the present proposal is to identify key neural mechanisms whereby behavioral principles which are essential for the psychological integrity of the individual, get impaired under certain emotional and stressful conditions, eventually leading to psychopathology. We hypothesize that some of the key behavioral distortions leading to emotional disturbances (e.g. generalization of conditioned fear and the inefficiency of extinction processes when applied to recent fear memories) share common underlying neurobiological mechanisms which critically involve special properties of amygdala functioning under conditions of high or extreme emotional distress. We also hypothesize that individual differences in amygdala reactivity will be implicated in individuals’ proneness to develop these behavioral distortions. By focusing on the inefficiency of extinction processes when applied to recent fear memories as a working model to understand the mediating mechanisms, we will investigate in rats the involvement of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and of synaptic proteins (glutamate receptor subunits, cell adhesion molecules) with a role in circuit and memory formation. In addition, we aim to apply a developmental perspective to assess whether early life experiences can be effective, when reactivated in adulthood, to overcome these behavioral distortions. These objectives will be tackled by using a multidisciplinary technical approach within state-of-the-art facilities in the laboratory of Prof. C. Sandi at the Brain Mind Institute in Lausanne. This project will be a major step in my career towards becoming an independent researcher, and the ideal basis for the establishment of collaborations extremely valuable for my future career.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
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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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
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.
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.
Coordinator
1015 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
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.