Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CEN (Cerebellum and Emotional Networks)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-06-01 bis 2023-05-31
The cerebellum is a brain structure traditionally associated with the coordination, precision and timing of movements. Emerging evidence indicates, however, that the cerebellum is also involved in the perception and encoding of emotional information.
CEN provides structured training of highly skilled early stage researchers (ESRs) as a European Training Network (ETN), involving eight 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 and our ETN is unique 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. We use comparable paradigms and data analysis pipelines in all our ESR projects to foster translation from bench to bedside. A key aim of our consortium is to share and combine knowledge in the field of cerebellar research and the area of anxiety disorders. The information gained will inform the development of new therapeutic strategies for individuals with emotional disorders.
CEN provides structured training of highly skilled early stage researchers (ESRs) as a European Training Network (ETN), involving eight 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 and our ETN is unique 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. We use comparable paradigms and data analysis pipelines in all our ESR projects to foster translation from bench to bedside. A key aim of our consortium is to share and combine knowledge in the field of cerebellar research and the area of anxiety disorders. The information gained will inform the development of new therapeutic strategies for individuals with emotional disorders.
1) Research
The aims of CEN are delivered through four research objectives (work packages), that together deliver excellence in research and training of a new generation of scientists with basic and clinical research experience. Each research objective involves a subset of multidisciplinary teams within CEN, addressing four fundamental questions:
• Research Objective 1: How do different cerebellar modules contribute to emotional behaviour?
• Research Objective 2: What are the neural pathways that functionally link individual cerebellar modules to other brain regions instrumental for emotional behaviour?
• Research Objective 3: What is the mode of operation of these anatomically and functionally defined pathways?
• Research Objective 4: How do changes in cerebellar circuits contribute to pathology (developmental, cerebellar degenerative and anxiety disorders)?
Given the complexity and time-consuming nature of the experiments, it is too early to provide quantitative analysis of results or deliver firm conclusions. However, most ESRs are starting to obtain data and develop their hypotheses, driving the next steps in their projects.
2) Training
CEN brings together an interdisciplinary team of internationally recognised leaders in neuroscience, industrial companies, healthcare providers and medical charities. They work with cutting-edge technologies, develop new methods, and play a key role in relation to societal needs in the field. This unique team trains our ESRs in a wide range of skills, ranging from scientific, technological, commercial, management to healthcare. Moreover, the Universities involved are among the top ranked in Europe, opening a wide range of career development opportunities for ESRs and expanding their networks.
Central to CEN is a spirit of collaboration, providing our ESRs with the best career opportunities through 1:1 scientific supervision, technological courses, dissemination activities, career development workshops, mentoring and secondments. ESRs lie at the heart of our network and are involved in designing training activities and governance decision-making.
3) Dissemination and exploitation of results
Because the research that CEN undertakes is fundamental in nature much of the results will not have short term commercial applications. However, we recognise the importance of disseminating our findings and raising project visibility to achieve longer-term benefits. Practices to disseminate and exploit research results often aim to share scientific advances with the scientific community to drive development and translate those advances into products or services.
CEN promotes its work through a range of different formats, including outreach, social media, research papers, lay articles, patient interest groups and our annual meetings. This profoundly impacts CEN, promoting our activities, attracting worldwide experts as team members or collaborators, and highlights the power of EU collaborations. Moreover, it fosters engagement with end users and raises public awareness of how tax funded research is used to benefit society.
4) Management
The coordinated actions described above would not be possible without a management structure in place to design, implement and evaluate the actions. The highly collaborative nature of CEN, involving intra and inter-boards and committees, coordinated by the CEN core management, is vital for the success of our project, particularly in a challenging virtual network.
The aims of CEN are delivered through four research objectives (work packages), that together deliver excellence in research and training of a new generation of scientists with basic and clinical research experience. Each research objective involves a subset of multidisciplinary teams within CEN, addressing four fundamental questions:
• Research Objective 1: How do different cerebellar modules contribute to emotional behaviour?
• Research Objective 2: What are the neural pathways that functionally link individual cerebellar modules to other brain regions instrumental for emotional behaviour?
• Research Objective 3: What is the mode of operation of these anatomically and functionally defined pathways?
• Research Objective 4: How do changes in cerebellar circuits contribute to pathology (developmental, cerebellar degenerative and anxiety disorders)?
Given the complexity and time-consuming nature of the experiments, it is too early to provide quantitative analysis of results or deliver firm conclusions. However, most ESRs are starting to obtain data and develop their hypotheses, driving the next steps in their projects.
2) Training
CEN brings together an interdisciplinary team of internationally recognised leaders in neuroscience, industrial companies, healthcare providers and medical charities. They work with cutting-edge technologies, develop new methods, and play a key role in relation to societal needs in the field. This unique team trains our ESRs in a wide range of skills, ranging from scientific, technological, commercial, management to healthcare. Moreover, the Universities involved are among the top ranked in Europe, opening a wide range of career development opportunities for ESRs and expanding their networks.
Central to CEN is a spirit of collaboration, providing our ESRs with the best career opportunities through 1:1 scientific supervision, technological courses, dissemination activities, career development workshops, mentoring and secondments. ESRs lie at the heart of our network and are involved in designing training activities and governance decision-making.
3) Dissemination and exploitation of results
Because the research that CEN undertakes is fundamental in nature much of the results will not have short term commercial applications. However, we recognise the importance of disseminating our findings and raising project visibility to achieve longer-term benefits. Practices to disseminate and exploit research results often aim to share scientific advances with the scientific community to drive development and translate those advances into products or services.
CEN promotes its work through a range of different formats, including outreach, social media, research papers, lay articles, patient interest groups and our annual meetings. This profoundly impacts CEN, promoting our activities, attracting worldwide experts as team members or collaborators, and highlights the power of EU collaborations. Moreover, it fosters engagement with end users and raises public awareness of how tax funded research is used to benefit society.
4) Management
The coordinated actions described above would not be possible without a management structure in place to design, implement and evaluate the actions. The highly collaborative nature of CEN, involving intra and inter-boards and committees, coordinated by the CEN core management, is vital for the success of our project, particularly in a challenging virtual network.
The most direct impact of CEN is on the career prospects of the ESR students. There is an adaptation period during any PhD journey where ESRs take time to settle in their host country and host institution, learn new techniques and key knowledge in their research project, understand the dynamics of academia and develop transferable skills to achieve their goals in a timely manner. Depending on individual circumstances, this can take six months to one year, sometimes longer. Most of our ESRs are now at the stage where they have the confidence and technical ability to work independently, and have generated their first results. They have also gained important transferable skills to enable them to further their careers. In the remaining period of their PhD, we expect them to capitalise on their new skills and confidence and for each ESR to contribute to addressing our research objectives. At the same time we will continue to support them on an individual basis and provide them with developmental opportunities to enable their future career ambitions and to achieve excellence.
Regarding wider, socio-economic impact, we are making progress through our collaborations with our non-academic partners and via dissemination activities. Knowledge exchange with our partners 3Brain and Inscopix and the University of Pavia, involves frequent communication and training to test beta software and prototypes, improving product design and product functionalities. This impacts neuroscience state-of the-art technologies for wider benefit. We also actively engage with patients through our partnerships with patient charities and healthcare providers. This public engagement interaction occurs through meetings and newsletters and allows us to showcase our research, highlight the importance of our fundamental and clinical findings, informing patients and practitioners and increases patient recruitment for our current and future studies. Our dissemination in social media and the press also raises awareness and educates the general public on the importance of the study on the cerebellum and emotions- this impact is evident through our direct interactions with the public. CEN will continue developing these impact pathways and explore new opportunities during the next review period.
Regarding wider, socio-economic impact, we are making progress through our collaborations with our non-academic partners and via dissemination activities. Knowledge exchange with our partners 3Brain and Inscopix and the University of Pavia, involves frequent communication and training to test beta software and prototypes, improving product design and product functionalities. This impacts neuroscience state-of the-art technologies for wider benefit. We also actively engage with patients through our partnerships with patient charities and healthcare providers. This public engagement interaction occurs through meetings and newsletters and allows us to showcase our research, highlight the importance of our fundamental and clinical findings, informing patients and practitioners and increases patient recruitment for our current and future studies. Our dissemination in social media and the press also raises awareness and educates the general public on the importance of the study on the cerebellum and emotions- this impact is evident through our direct interactions with the public. CEN will continue developing these impact pathways and explore new opportunities during the next review period.