Objective
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are among the most severe psychiatric disorders in childhood in terms of prevalence, outcome, impact on families and cost to society. Social dysfunctions are a core, disabling symptom of ASD. Since the neurobiology of social behavior is largely unknown, there are no drugs available to treat social dysfunctions in ASD. Although no animal model can capture all the molecular and behavioral features of ASD, animal studies of normal and abnormal social behavior can provide unique insights into the social impairments in ASD. My aim is therefore to investigate the neurobiology of social behavior in adolescent rats, in normal and impaired conditions. I will focus on the most characteristic social activity displayed by young mammals: social play behavior. Social play is highly rewarding and is essential for proper development, both in adolescent rats and human children. Importantly, social play is highly impaired in ASD children. Although the neurobiology of social play is largely unknown, my studies have shown that neurotransmitters involved in positive emotions, such as opioids, cannabinoids and dopamine, positively modulate social play. On this basis, my aims are: 1. identify the neural circuits of social play; 2. investigate whether drugs that increase social play ameliorate experimentally-induced impairments in social behavior in rat models of social dysfunction that strongly resemble ASD. By focusing on social dysfunctions as a crucial phenotype in ASD, I will investigate neurobiological aspects of ASD that cannot be studied in humans, in order to 1. understand the abnormal social behaviors that characterize ASD; 2. provide novel drug targets to treat social dysfunctions in ASD. I’ve been appointed as Assistant Professor in my Country, after a 5-year training abroad. This grant will allow me to transfer the knowledge gained abroad in my Country, and will make a substantial contribution to the scientific success of 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
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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-2011-CIG
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.
MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)
Coordinator
00154 ROMA
Italy
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.