Project description
The role of the cerebellum in emotional processing
The cerebellum is a structure located at the back of the brain and is primarily associated with the coordination, precision and timing of movements. Emerging evidence indicates that the cerebellum is also involved in the perception and encoding of emotional information. The EU-funded CEN project comprises a training network that aims to define the processes in the cerebellum that drive emotional responses in health and disease. Researchers will employ a multidisciplinary approach to determine the neural circuits in the brain implicated in emotional processing. Project results will provide fundamental knowledge on emotional behaviour, paving the way for novel treatments against emotional or anxiety disorders.
Objective
This Innovative Training Network (ITN) brings together leading European research labs for the interdisciplinary study of cerebellar contributions to survival circuits and emotional behaviour. The ITN will provide structured training of highly skilled early stage researchers (ESRs) as a European Training Network (ETN), involving seven beneficiaries (based in five European counties), and nine non-academic partners providing complementary training in the healthcare, charity and industrial sectors. The ETN will develop a testable framework to understand cerebellar contributions to emotional behaviour in both health and disease. This framework will convey the fundamental principles and basic functionality of cerebellar contributions and will be firmly rooted in neurobiology - defining the neural circuit processes that occur in the cerebellum and across the key brain areas that support emotional responses. A broad range of skills and technologies are needed to achieve this goal. Our ETN will be unique worldwide in bringing together internationally-recognised research groups with complementary skills spanning computational, cellular, whole animal systems and clinical expertise to train a new generation of ESRs to address this challenge. To foster translation from bench to bedside, we will use comparable paradigms and data analysis pipelines in all our ESR projects. A key aim of our consortium is to share and combine knowledge in the field of cerebellar research and in the field of anxiety disorders. The information gained will inform the development of new therapeutic strategies for individuals suffering from emotional disorders.
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Coordinator
BS8 1QU Bristol
United Kingdom