Innovating Works

DisConn

Financiado
Neural drivers of functional disconnectivity in brain disorders
A rapidly expanding approach to understanding neural organization is to map patterns of spontaneous neural activity as an index of functional communication and connectivity across brain regions. Fostered by the advent of neuroimag... A rapidly expanding approach to understanding neural organization is to map patterns of spontaneous neural activity as an index of functional communication and connectivity across brain regions. Fostered by the advent of neuroimaging methods like resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), this approach has revealed that functional connectivity is almost invariably disrupted in severe psychiatric disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia. However, the neural basis of such functional disconnectivity remains mysterious. What drives brain-wide functional synchronization? And are there shared pathophysiological mechanisms leading to impaired large-scale neural coupling? This project aims to elucidate the neural drivers of macroscale functional connectivity, as well as its breakdown in brain connectopathies. To achieve this goal, I propose a multi-scale perturbational approach to establish causal relationships between specific neural events and brain-wide functional connectivity via a novel combination of rsfMRI and advanced neural manipulations and recordings in the awake mouse. By directionally silencing functional hubs as well as more peripheral cortical regions, I will provide a hierarchical description of spontaneous network organization that will uncover regional substrates vulnerable to network disruption. I will also manipulate physiologically-distinct excitatory or inhibitory populations to probe a unifying mechanistic link between excitatory/inhibitory imbalances and aberrant functional connectivity. Finally, to account for the hallmark co-occurrence of synaptic deficits and functional disconnectivity in developmental disorders, I will link cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and learning to the generation of canonical and aberrant spontaneous activity patterns. These studies will pave the way to a back-translation of aberrant functional connectivity into interpretable neurophysiological events and models that can help understand, diagnose or treat brain disorders. ver más
31/12/2024
IIT
1M€
Duración del proyecto: 73 meses Fecha Inicio: 2018-11-08
Fecha Fin: 2024-12-31

Línea de financiación: concedida

El organismo H2020 notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2018-11-08
Línea de financiación objetivo El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-2018-STG: ERC Starting Grant
Cerrada hace 7 años
Presupuesto El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a 1M€
Líder del proyecto
FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico TRL 4-5