Objective Coordinated walking in vertebrates and multi-legged invertebrates such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is controlledby an evolutionarily conserved network capable to control movement in a fast, stable, and energy-efficient way. At the sametime, it provides the flexibility to adapt to changes in the terrain, load, and internal motor representations due to disease orinjury. Currently, the contribution of different brain structures responsible for the recovery process is only partially understoodand, importantly, the role of specific genes remains mostly elusive. Preliminary data shows that adult Drosophila flies inwhich the two middle legs were amputated improve their gait performance gradually over the course of a few days engagingin a more controlled gait. We also find that mutants for the learning and memory gene rutabaga lack any kind of short- orlong-term recovery. These results suggest that flies can readjust their motor circuitry upon injury and that a mechanism ofsynaptic plasticity might be involved.The overall goal of this proposal is to establish the fruit fly Drosophila as a genetic model for neurorehabilitation and recoveryafter amputation, which will allow the identification of new genes and mechanisms of motor plasticity. In order to carry outthese aims, I will take advantage of the sophisticated Drosophila neurogenetic toolkit that allows gene manipulation and theexecution of in vivo gain and loss-of-function experiments in a controlled number of neurons. In addition, I will use an adultfly walking assay that I developed during my postdoc, the FlyWalker system, which allows a detailed quantification of locomotor activity. Identifying genes and molecular components that affect the process of plasticity and motor adaptation will allow us to identify new biochemical pathways that influence the recovery process and design new approaches to enhance recovery outcomes. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyinvertebrate zoology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel Coordinator UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA Net EU contribution € 160 635,60 Address Campus de campolide 1099 085 Lisboa Portugal See on map Region Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
