Project description DEENESFRITPL The adolescent brain on alcohol Alcohol has a greater effect on teenagers than on adults because the brains of adolescents are still developing. Research has shown that developing brains are more prone to addiction. What is more, alcohol disrupts brain development. For instance, excessive alcohol consumption impairs the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviour, personality expression, decision-making, and moderating social behaviour. The EU-funded ALCO-ADO project aims to discover how alcohol modulates local translation of synaptic proteins in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence. It will also seek to identify the targeted synaptic mRNAs and analyse their involvement in altered synaptic plasticity underlying alcohol-dependent defective behaviours. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective During adolescence, the brain undergoes intense maturation, particularly in the frontal areas. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is implicated in executive functions, and its immaturity in adolescents is associated with increased impulsivity and heightened vulnerability to deleterious effects of drugs. Alcohol is the most consumed drug among adolescents, and its excessive consumption profoundly impairs PFC function, leading to long-lasting defective behaviors, psychological problems and neurocognitive defects. However, the precise mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced alterations in PFC maturation remain poorly understood. Alcohol addiction is considered being a maladaptive form of learning and memory, as alcohol usurps the molecular mechanisms underlying those processes, such as long-lasting synaptic plasticity. Long-lasting changes in the strength of synaptic connections mainly depend on the local translation of mRNAs at synaptic sites. It has been shown that alcohol modifies synaptic proteins composition by modulating the activity of key translation regulators, such as mTORC1 and eIF2α, in brain regions associated with the mesocorticolimbic pathway. Here, we propose to analyze the alcohol-dependent modifications of the synaptic translatome of specific neuronal populations (glutamatergic neurons and GABAergic interneurons) in the PFC of adolescent male and female mice, by using a multidisciplinary approach combining biochemistry, imaging, electrophysiology and behavioral tests. This project aims to uncover how alcohol modulates local translation of synaptic proteins in the PFC during adolescence, to identify the targeted synaptic mRNAs and analyze their involvement in altered synaptic plasticity underlying alcohol-dependent defective behaviors. In addition, this project aims at identifying the differential sensibility to alcohol’s effects between males and females as well as the differences in behavioral consequences. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols 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-2018 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel Coordinator UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE Net EU contribution € 178 320,00 Address PLACE DU 20 AOUT 7 4000 Liege Belgium See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Liège Arr. Liège Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 178 320,00
