Project description
Studying cortical neurons during innate vocalisation
Almost all mammals vocalise to communicate. Recent studies on non-human primates indicate that certain neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex are highly active before and during innate vocal production. However, most of the genetic tools needed to map, monitor and manipulate the cortical neurons active during innate vocal behaviours are inapplicable to monkeys and rats. The functional and anatomical relationship between these neuronal circuits relevant to innate vocal patterning therefore remains unknown. The EU-funded CCINB project aims to identify PLC and C2 neurons active during ultrasonic vocalisation and explore their interaction with subcortical vocal circuits. To that end, it will exploit the wide range of genetic and physiological tools available in the mouse. The project will provide insight into innate mammalian vocalisation.
Objective
Vocalization is an essential medium for communication in almost all mammalian species, including our own. Vocal patterns can be either learned, as with human speech, or innate, as the various affiliative and agonistic vocalizations produced by mammals. A major unresolved issue is the relationship between ancestral mammalian circuits for innate vocalizations and the derived circuitry that enables vocal learning. One hypothesis is that motor cortical structures are also active during innate vocalizations, and interact with subcortical vocal circuits important to vocal patterning, thus providing the architectural foundation from which learned vocalizations evolved. In support of this idea, recent studies in non-human primates show that certain neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex are highly active before and during innate vocal production. Perhaps even more surprisingly, a very recent study found a strong involvement of prelimbic cortex and cingulate area 2 in the production of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats. Nonetheless, most of the advanced genetic tools necessary to map, monitor, and manipulate the cortical neurons active during innate vocal behaviors are not applicable in monkeys and rats. Thus, the functional and anatomical relationship between these neuronal circuits important to innate vocal patterning remain unknown. Here, we propose to exploit the wide range of genetic and physiological tools available in the mouse, including the ability to optogenetically elicit USVs in head-fixed mice, to identify PLC and C2 neurons that are active during USV production and explore how they interact with subcortical vocal circuits.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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.
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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.
6020 Innsbruck
Austria
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.