Project description
Improving quality of life with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterised by extreme psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, impaired cognitive function and social behaviour. Currently, the only existing treatment – antipsychotics – targets specific symptoms, while the rest continue to affect patients. Under the common assumption that symptoms are caused by distinct pathophysiological mechanisms, the EU-funded INTEGRATE project aims to test the hypothesis that striatal hyperdopaminergia – an excess of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the central region of the brain commonly associated with psychosis – is caused by abnormal cortical inhibition. The project could lead the way to treatment that prevents psychosis and also address impaired cognitive function, thus significantly improving patients’ daily lives.
Objective
An integrated hypothesis for cognitive and positive symptoms in schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia is a complex developmental brain disorder with three main clusters of symptoms: (i) positive (psychosis, delusions and hallucinations), (ii) negative (reduced motivation and social withdrawal), and (iii) cognitive (memory and executive function deficits). For the last 50 years, the only effective treatment has consisted of antipsychotics targeting dopamine receptors. Yet, antipsychotics control mostly the positive symptoms and are largely ineffective at treating other deficits.
It is frequently assumed that distinct pathophysiological mechanisms underlie different symptoms. Psychosis is associated with striatal hyperdopaminergia, probably due to abnormal activity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Yet cognitive deficits seem to arise from cortical excitation/inhibition unbalance. I propose to test, in a mice model, the hypothesis that striatal hyperdopaminergia results from dysfunctional cortical inhibition. If verified, this would suggest that normalizing cortical activity in schizophrenia might both restore cognitive function and prevent psychosis.
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 cognitive neuroscience
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry schizophrenia
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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.
0313 Oslo
Norway
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.