Objective
Late-onset epilepsy is a growing yet underexplored medical condition/disease in the aging population. Clinical studies increasingly associate cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) angiopathy (CAA) – the accumulation/aggregation of Aβ in cerebral vessels – with high seizure incidence, especially in the inflammation-driven CAA subtype. However, the mechanisms by which CAA contributes to epileptogenesis remain unclear.
I hypothesise that CAA creates an inflammatory microenvironment that selectively impairs cortical inhibitory interneurons, leading to disrupted network inhibition and heightened seizure susceptibility.
To test this, I will use well-characterized transgenic CAA mouse models together with post-mortem human CAA tissue to:
(1) map the spatiotemporal progression of interneuron degeneration;
(2) profile glial and vascular inflammatory responses using multiplex immunohistochemistry and single-nucleus multi-omics;
(3) assess seizure susceptibility and network hyperexcitability in vivo using electroencephalography (EEG) and seizure susceptibility assays, and test whether anti-inflammatory intervention can mitigate these phenotypes.
By integrating interneuron mapping, inflammatory profiling, and functional network assessment, EPICAA will provide mechanistic insight into how CAA contributes to late-onset epilepsy and nominate therapeutic targets for seizure prevention in cerebrovascular disease.
My expertise in EEG and network pathology, combined with know-how in aged CAA mouse models and vascular inflammation in my host lab, ensures feasibility. Through EPICAA, I will receive hands-on training in single-nucleus multi-omics and vascular amyloidosis while transferring my expertise in network hyperexcitability. Targeted career development (leadership, grant writing, mentoring), open science, and proactive dissemination will maximise impact and position me to transition to research independence, strengthening European capacity in brain ageing and epilepsy research.
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.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology epilepsy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine angiology vascular diseases cerebrovascular diseases
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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)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
80539 Planegg
Germany
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.