Project description
Using calcium to image neuronal activity in the brain
Calcium is a reliable marker of neuronal activity, and calcium imaging has the potential to unveil important information about the brain network and its function. However, existing tools do not have the capacity to measure calcium dynamics at a large scale. BrainwideNeuroCaSens, an EU-funded initiative, aims to develop a novel calcium biosensor that can be exploited in functional magnetic resonance imaging. The biosensor will respond to calcium and help visualise neuronal activity in otherwise inaccessible deep structures and large regions of the mammalian brain. The generated tool has the potential to be employed for the investigation of brain-wide neural circuits in health and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Objective
Neuroscience’s ultimate goal of achieving a holistic understanding of brain function requires a cross-scale integration from single-cell physiology to global network topology. While remarkable achievements towards this goal have been made, brain research faces the challenge of incorporating molecular and cellular neurobiology into the context of macro-scale network activation. Calcium is a reliable marker of neural activity and calcium imaging is among the most widely used methods in modern biology, although the technology for measuring large-scale calcium dynamics remains limited. BrainwideNeuroCaSens seeks to pioneer magnetic calcium-responsive sensors in the context of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a tool for a brain-wide interrogation of neural systems, providing an order of magnitude speed increase and a neurophysiologically precise readout, thereby far surpassing other noninvasive neuroimaging methods. These magnetic calcium-responsive sensors with physicochemical properties similar to optical imaging dyes, make use of the whole-brain, noninvasive imaging capabilities of fMRI and allow to detect translationally relevant, molecular precise correlates of neuronal activity in otherwise inaccessible deep structures and large regions of the mammalian brain. While focusing on dynamic functional connectivity relationships to study stimulus-responses and intrinsic network dynamics, the proposed experiments have significance for understanding brain-wide neural circuits in health and disease, offering pre-clinical potential for neurodegenerative pathologies. BrainwideNeuroCaSens’ offers a molecular precise readout of global neural network function and thereby opens the possibility for therapeutic strategies aiming at a restoration of network disruptions, for example in but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease. BrainwideNeuroCaSens will bring the next-generation imaging technique of molecular fMRI to the EU and make the applicant pioneer in this field.
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
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics topology
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging magnetic resonance imaging
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence computational intelligence
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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.
80333 Muenchen
Germany
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.