Project description DEENESFRITPL Understanding the impact of emotions during decision-making Emotion and reason tend to be considered stark opposites. However, the inclusion of emotional stimuli and data during decision-making can positively influence adaptive behaviour selection, while mismanagement is deeply present in psychiatric disorders that affect dysregulation. Unfortunately, we currently lack knowledge concerning the pathophysiology and aetiology of many of these disorders. The EU-funded INTENDeD project aims to research the connection, transfer and implementation of emotional stimuli and data between two hub regions of the valence assignment. This insight into valence coding could provide researchers with a deeper understanding of how emotions impact decision-making. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Emotions are often contrasted with reason. However, integration of emotional information into the decision-making processes can advantageously bias adaptive behavior selection. Miss-regulation of emotional information integration in cortical processing is a hallmark of psychiatric disorders with affect dysregulation. Our knowledge of the etiology and pathophysiology of these disorders is strongly limited by our understanding of the non-pathological neuronal circuits underlying emotional processing and makes targeted intervention methods scarce. I here propose to investigate information transfer between two hub regions involved in valence assignment to environmental stimuli and integration of this information in decision making. Gaining insight into the long-range connectivity between the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the integration of BLA information in the local mPFC circuit in mice will significantly advance our understanding of emotional processing during decision making. I hypothesize that the BLA can influence the mPFC in a valence-specific manner. To address how valence representation encoded in the BLA biases action selection in a decision-making task, I am going to train mice in a cost-benefit task and modulate valence-specific BLA projections to the mPFC. Furthermore, using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging and state-of-the art long range connectivity mapping methods, I will characterize if the BLA transmits differential valence information to specific mPFC subregions. Finally, I will investigate how valence-specific BLA information is integrated in the local mPFC circuit, using optogenetics based functional connectivity mapping methods in the acute brain slice preparation. This research will allow for the first time to achieve a circuit and cellular level mechanistic understanding of the influence of positive and negative valence coding in the BLA on mPFC processing and ultimately decision-making. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicinepsychiatrymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiologypathophysiologynatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metals Keywords neuronal circuits systems neuroscience amygdala medial prefrontal cortex emotion valence cost-benefit decision making long-range connectivity functional connectivity rodent 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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator FRIEDRICH MIESCHER INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FONDATION Net EU contribution € 203 149,44 Address MAULBEERSTRASSE 66 4058 Basel Switzerland See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Nordwestschweiz Basel-Stadt Activity type Research Organisations 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 € 203 149,44
