Project description
Brain regulation of motivated behaviours
The cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus are well studied, but their ability to regulate motivated behaviours, such as sociability, aggression, mating, or feeding, is much less understood. The lateral septum (LS) that receives inputs from the PFC and hippocampus and projects to the hypothalamus is ideally positioned to integrate cognitive information to regulate motivated behaviours. LS also receives numerous subcortical neuromodulatory inputs such as vasopressin, dopamine and serotonin. The EU-funded MotivatedBehaviors project aims to determine how the LS integrates cortical and neuromodulatory inputs to regulate motivated behaviours. The overarching goal of the project is to uncover changes occurring in disorders associated with social behavioural deficits, providing new therapeutic targets for disease treatment.
Objective
How does cognition regulate innate “low-level” behaviors? While the cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus have been extensively studied, we know much less about their ability to regulate the activity of the various hypothalamic nuclei controlling motivated behaviors (sociability, aggression, mating, feeding). Living in society nonetheless requires that our past experiences and decision-making exert some degree of control over our “basic” behaviors. The lateral septum (LS) -receiving inputs from PFC and hippocampus and projecting primarily to the hypothalamus- is ideally positioned to integrate cognitive information and, in turn, regulate motivated behaviors. Thus I characterized in mice a novel circuit by which hippocampal CA2 projections to LS result in disinhibition of an aggression-promoting nucleus of the hypothalamus. I also showed that vasopressin enhances aggression through presynaptic facilitation of CA2 inputs to LS. Using this study as a blueprint, I will determine the logic by which LS integrates and compute cognitive inputs to regulate other motivated behaviors. As motivated behaviors depend on internal states, I will also explore how modulatory inputs (vasopressin, dopamine, serotonin) from subcortical brain regions to LS can regulate its function. Finally, since hippocampus, PFC and LS are implicated in several psychiatric disorders associated with altered social behaviors (schizophrenia, autism or bipolar disorder), insights into how these regions regulate motivated behaviors are critical for understanding both basic neural mechanisms as well as how disease processes lead to altered social interactions. This project therefore also aims to unravel potential changes occurring in disorders associated with social behavioral deficits with the ultimate goal of providing new therapeutic targets for disease treatment. Thus my study may suggest new approaches to treat abnormal social cognition associated with psychiatric disorders.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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) ERC-2020-STG
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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.