Project description
Brain connections and eating patterns during pregnancy
Women undergo remarkable changes during pregnancy, including alterations in taste perception and nutrient preference that result in frequent food cravings. Scientists of the EU-funded NEUROPREG project plan to investigate if these pregnancy-related changes are due to modifications in neuronal connections of the brain regions implicated in taste and ingestion. Using cutting-edge methodologies, they will decipher neuronal circuits and gene expression profiles during gestation and evaluate their effects on offspring metabolic health. The project's significance extends beyond pregnancy and may lead to the design of new preventive strategies to control disturbed eating patterns and obesity.
Objective
Pregnancy entails remarkable whole-body biological adaptations. Extensive evidence in humans shows significant alterations in taste perception and nutrient preference throughout pregnancy, resulting in frequent food cravings with a recurrent search for high-caloric, high-palatable foods. However, the underlying neurocircuits implicated in specific pregnancy-related eating disturbances are still unknown. In line with that, the project hypothesizes that pregnancy modifies the neuroconnectome of critical brain regions implicated in taste and ingestive behavior, altering maternal dietary preferences and habits favoring the consumption of high-palatable food. The persistence of abnormal dietary patterns, in the prevailing western life-style, may underlie serious detrimental metabolic and neuropsychological outcomes in both mothers and offspring that often lead to eating disorders and obesity vulnerability. The project aims to use a combination of cutting-edge methodologies in the mouse, including behavioral, whole-brain imaging, chemogenetics, and fiber photometry to establish the genetic and neurocircuits underlying pregnancy-related eating behaviors and its effects on offspring's metabolic health. The present proposal will provide novel insights on the link between specific physiological conditions (gestation), feeding neurocircuits and behavior as well as transgenerational metabolic and neuropsychological impact, unraveling new preventive strategies (nutritional and healthier lifestyle) to control the rising incidences of “food addiction”, disturbed eating patterns, and obesity predisposition. Ultimately, the knowledge generated by NEUROPREG can reduce overall costs in obesity and related disorders, that consumes more than $1.2 trillion of the global health system every year. My outstanding scientific experience in neuroscience and maternal influences on offspring metabolic outcomes make me the ideal candidate to develop this MSCA.
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
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine obstetrics
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
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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.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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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-2019
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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.
08036 BARCELONA
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.