Objective
Modelling depression in animals has been a key aim of biomedical research for decades. However, current animal models of depression are increasingly questioned, & standard animal testing situations model only a few symptoms of the disease. To better assess animal depression, a broader set of psychological, neuroanatomical & cognitive alterations evident in depressed patients needs to be considered. The role of cognition, despite being both a risk factor & indicator of human affective disorders, has been particularly neglected in animal models. My project will focus on altered cognition, particularly memory. Using rats, I will test the hypothesis that, just as in depressed humans, animals in negative affective states retrieve negative information from memory better than positive information. Rats’ affective states will be environmentally & pharmacologically manipulated. They will be trained to acquire positive or negative information (e.g. localising food rewards & unpalatable food in an arena), and retrieval of these memories subsequently tested. Furthermore, I will assess whether negative biases in memory retrieval statistically co-vary with other ready-validated depression-like traits in these animals (anhedonia & cognitive pessimism). This multidisciplinary project encompassing animal cognition, psychology, ethology, welfare science & pharmacology will train me in techniques essential for the development of better animal models of affective disorders &, more generally, for scientific progress in the understanding of animal affective states (critical in welfare science, pain research & psychopharmacology). Pr Mendl’s lab (the largest gathering of animal welfare researchers in the world) provides in-depth expertise in these areas, & the University of Bristol is committed to equipping its research fellows with the skills necessary to become internationally-leading principal investigators, which will boost my career development as an independent European scientist.
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.
- social sciences psychology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy
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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-2013-IEF
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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.
Coordinator
BS8 1QU BRISTOL
United Kingdom
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.