Project description
Unravelling the neurobiology of stress-induced binge eating
Eating disorders and obesity threaten health in a variety of ways. Binge eating disorder has been linked to neural circuit disruptions, but further investigation is needed to find effective treatment options for this condition. The EU-funded ReCoDE project will focus on how stress alters the strength of connections in the brain involved in decision-making and how it can trigger impulsive eating behaviour. Moreover, it will search for ways to reshape this process by specific manipulation of brain activity. Electrophysiology, optogenetics and neural tracing will be applied, revealing whether binge eating occurs due to changes in prefrontal cortex control over lateral hypothalamus circuits which regulate food intake. Results may be promising for future treatments of eating disorders.
Objective
Obesity and eating disorders are critical problems in society. Many patients with these brain diseases cope with stress by ravenous food intake (binge eating), which engenders new stress and maintains the pathology. Evidence-based treatments for this are urgently needed, but their implementation is hindered by a knowledge gap on: (i) which stress-driven neural disruptions cause binge eating, and (ii) whether these neural circuit changes can be normalized for therapeutic gain.
Studies in humans and rodents link binge eating to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region orchestrating the stress response. However, it is unknown how effects of stress on PFC output cause binge eating. The PFC prominently innervates the lateral hypothalamus (LHA), a region with a crucial role in managing food intake, yet little is known about the function of PFC regulation of the LHA. I predict that stress-induced binge eating requires a functional reorganization of prefrontal cortical control over lateral hypothalamus feeding circuits, and that this control can be restored to limit binge eating.
I propose a cutting-edge threefold strategy to address these hypotheses in mouse models:
1. I will unravel the make-up of PFC-LHA circuitry, combining electrophysiology, optogenetics and neural tracing. I will assess how stress functionally alters this complex network.
2. I will determine the concurrent activity at multiple sites within PFC-LHA circuitry as mice engage in stress-driven binge eating, using fiber photometric calcium recordings.
3. I will assess if normalizing stress-altered PFC-LHA synapses rebalances this circuitry in vivo and limits binge eating. For this I will combine optogenetic plasticity protocols, with fiber photometric measurements in freely moving mice.
Overall, this challenging project aims to unravel the unclear neurobiology of stress-induced binge eating. If successful, this would provide a key advance in understanding binge eating pathologies.
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
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) ERC-2018-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
3584 CX Utrecht
Netherlands
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.