Project description
Shared neurotransmitter systems may mediate motor dysfunction and anxiety in Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in progressive motor dysfunction related to loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Depression and anxiety are also very common in PD. These conditions may be related to neurochemical changes in dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in PD, but more research is needed to confirm this. The EU-funded AND-PD project is taking a closer look at a possible link between degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in PD and co-morbid anxiety. Scientists are exploring whether RNA-based approaches targeting the dopaminergic system can relieve anxiety in PD models. They will supplement these studies with the analysis of patient databases of brain images, looking for correlations of anxiety markers and dopaminergic and serotonergic function.
Objective
AND-PD investigates causative mechanisms of anxiety (with or without depression) as a non-motor co-morbidity of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and aims to understand the functional and pathological changes in the brainstem resulting from PD. This will provide new insights to advance personalised treatment of PD patients and open new research avenues supporting prevention, diagnosis and management of co-morbidities in PD patients.
Using models of mental comorbidities of PD, AND-PD will investigate functional changes in brainstem nuclei and establish the link with the anxiety phenotype. Findings will be used to inform pre-clinical (rodent, non-human primate and biobank samples) and clinical research (fMRI and PET imaging, behavioural analysis, retrospective cohort analysis) to identify and correlate causalities between dysfunctional neurocircuitry and co-morbid anxiety of PD. To prove causality, AND-PD will i) analyse anxiety in neurotoxin and genetic models of PD; ii) assess the physiological impact and behavioural effects of interventions that selectively reproduce the damage caused by PD in the brainstem; and iii) determine the ability of RNA based approaches to counteract anxiety associated with PD. To demonstrate the link in human patients, AND-PD will analyse patient databases and correlate measures of anxiety with: 1) signs of neuropathology in PD brain samples’ brainstem and 2) clinical and functional biomarkers of dysfunctional neurotransmission through brainstem imaging in patients. AND-PD beneficiaries’ experience in translational research will help ‘bridge the gap’ between preclinical and clinical experiments and help identify new anatomical targets and markers (molecular, functional and pathological,) to support better diagnosis, management and treatment of co-morbidities in PD patients.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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.
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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.
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H2020-EU.3.1. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3.1.1. - Understanding health, wellbeing and disease
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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.
RIA - Research and Innovation action
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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-SC1-BHC-2018-2020
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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.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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.