Objective
The relationship between neuronal activity, blood flow and metabolism provides the basis for the functional brain imaging techniques widely in use today. Local changes in glucose utilization, oxygen utilization, blood flow and hemoglobin oxygenation are taken as indicators of the activity of neuronal pathways during behavioral tasks or mental states. Surprisingly however, the cellular mechanisms that underlie the coupling between neuronal activity, cerebral blood flow and metabolism are poorly understood. Unlike in other tissues, a complex flow of information between neurons, astrocytes, pericytes and arteriolar smooth muscle regulates blood flow. Elucidation of the mechanisms coupling brain energy supply to energy use is essential for understanding how brain imaging data relate to neural function and for using these data to identify mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease or schizophrenia, in which alterations in neurometabolic function are detected. These mechanisms are also of great therapeutic and economic importance because of their relevance to treating stroke and other disorders of brain blood flow.
This project will investigate some of the most controversial problems in our understanding of: how the brain’s energy supply is regulated at the vascular level, how this relates to the blood flow increase underlying functional imaging signals and how individual neurons and glia control their energy supply. More specifically, we will ask: how important is control of energy supply at the capillary level, by pericytes? Which synapses control blood flow, thus generating functional imaging signals, in the cortex? How are lactate and other metabolites trafficked between neurons and astrocytes? To answer these questions, we will use a combination of mathematical modeling, in vitro experiments and to a lesser extent in vivo experiments.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology stroke
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry schizophrenia
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF
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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.
Coordinator
WC1E 6BT LONDON
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.