Objective
The aim of my research is to unravel one of the biggest unresolved problems in neuroscience: the function of sleep. Sleep is an essential aspect of our lives, the importance of which appears clear in pathological conditions where its normal patterns are disrupted. Moreover, it is an evolutionary conserved phenomenon. It has been described and characterized at levels, ranging from behavioural to neural and molecular, in different animal species. Despite its conservation, pointing to a fundamental function in animal survival, the reason for sleep is still debated. Different hypotheses have been raised, such as the energy hypothesis, the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis, and the clearance hypothesis; there is evidence to support each. However, no conclusive agreement on the main reason why sleep evolved has been reached. This is mainly due to the difficulty in integrating the above-mentioned levels of characterization in a single model organism. I will overcome this limitation by studying sleep homeostasis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Since sleep is a global process spanning the entire brain, full understanding of its regulations requires investigation at levels ranging from molecular mechanisms in single cells to brain-wide network activity. This is currently achievable only in C. elegans, providing a small anatomically mapped nervous system, advanced genetic tools, and a novel whole-brain imaging approach with single-cell resolution that was developed in my host lab. I will leverage on this approach, as well as a new quantitative behavioural paradigm for sleep homeostasis in adult worms, to study the brain-wide effects of sleep deprivation. To unravel the essential function of sleep, I aim to:
I: Characterize adult C. elegans sleep by quantitative behavioural analysis and whole brain imaging.
II: Identify the neural signature of sleep deprivation.
III: Isolate the final signal communicating sleep propensity to sleep-promoting centres.
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 basic medicine physiology homeostasis
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1010 WIEN
Austria
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.