Objective
Research objectives and content
This project aims at characterizing the cognitive effects of conditionally-immortal pluripotent neuroepithelial cell lines, derived from transgenic mouse fetuses, and grafted in the rat hippocampus after ischaemic damage of CA1 pyramidal cells or colchicine-induced destruction of dentate gyrus granule cells.
My contribution will include all surgeries (lesioning, grafting) and behavioural testings of rats for their learning abilities to find and remember the location of a hidden platform in the water-maze. Post-mortem histological and immunohistochemical assessments will also evaluate the lesion extents. survival, morphology and integration of the grafts in the hippocampal subfields of the host brain (CA1 / dentate gyrus) These experiments will provide cell lines readily available in-vitro and optimal for restoring cognitive function in rats given selective hippocampal subfields lesions.
Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact)
The Institute of Psychiatry is is a multidisciplinary centre, well-known in the field of neural transplantation. It possesses all research facilities required (technical competencies, equipments) and will allow me to learn and familarize with various innovative neuroscience techniques (see above) that may reveal extremely useful for my future research directed towards graftinduced cognitive recovery in brain damaged animals Links with industry / industrial relevance (22)
The project integrates with other studies performed in the host institution and separately funded by national research grants and industrial support.
Funding Scheme
RGI - Research grants (individual fellowships)
Coordinator
SE5 8AF London
United Kingdom
