NBATTENTION

The role of the basal forebrain in attention and learning

Coordinatore	INSTITUTE OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE - HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES    more  Organization address address: Szigony utca 43 city: Budapest postcode: 1083 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Viktor Cognome: Varga Email: send email Telefono: 3612109400
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Hungary [HU]
Totale costo	253˙191 €
EC contributo	253˙191 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IOF
Funding Scheme	MC-IOF
Anno di inizio	2013
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2013-01-01   -   2015-12-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	INSTITUTE OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE - HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  Organization address address: Szigony utca 43 city: Budapest postcode: 1083 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Viktor Cognome: Varga Email: send email Telefono: 3612109400	HU (Budapest)	coordinator	253˙191.60

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The basal forebrain (BF) constitutes a major neuromodulatory center, providing extensive projections to the entire forebrain, including all of cortex. Mounting evidence demonstrates that these projections play a key role in cognitive functions, including learning and attention. Damage or deterioration of BF in humans leads to severe cognitive impairments, such as dementia and executive dysfunction. Given the association of BF with higher cognitive functions and a host of disease states, surprisingly little is known about how it accomplishes these intricate tasks. This is largely due to technical challenges because BF neurons expressing the neuromodulatory transmitter acetylcholine are intermingled with a parallel inhibitory (GABAergic) projection system within a confined anatomical area and traditional techniques do not allow separating these two projection systems in behaving animals. The Kepecs group at CSHL have two techniques that are uniquely suitable to tackle this challenge. First, they successfully adapted the quantitative psychophysical methods of primate neuroscience—the current gold standard in research on the neural mechanisms of cognition—for use in mice, enabling us to employ molecular-genetic tools. Second, they developed an “optogenetic tagging” technique to selectively record from and control genetically identified neurons. With these methods I propose to study how different BF subsystems support sustained attention and spatial learning. I will record from identified BF neurons to establish the moment-to-moment correlation between neural activity and behavioral measures (e.g. reaction time). Gaining control over identified neurons at high temporal precision will also enable me to establish their necessity and sufficiency for behavioral functions on a trial-to-trial basis. Learning and transferring these cutting-edge techniques to Hungary will benefit both my return host laboratory and enable me to transition to an independent researcher position.'