Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
University of Western Ontario
$48,100.00
Combining electrophysiology and behavioural tests to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms of behaviour and learning
FY 2007-08
Summary
It is one of the major challenges for modern Neuroscience to find out how behaviour and behavioural plasticity is generated in the mammalian brain. We will combine in vitro electrophysiology with behavioural and pharmacological tests in vivo in order to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying behaviour and learning. We use a well established simple model - the mammalian startle response - in order to be able to connect cellular events to behaviour. The startle response is mediated by a short and well described primary pathway, it can easily be quantified and it is modulated by sensory gating mechanisms, emotions and learning. One prominent intrinsic startle modulation is habituation to the repeated presentation of startle stimuli. Habituation is considered one of the most essential learning tasks and we all perform habituation learning throughout our daily life without noticing it.After refining the knowledge about the central pathway that mediates startle responses, we are now interested in cellular mechanisms of startle modulations. We were able to identify the cellular mechanism presumably underlying short-term habituation of startle responses in rodents: secondary sensory neurons within the primary startle pathway are subject to synaptic depression upon repeated activation. Based on this, the goal of our studies is to demonstrate that synaptic depression and habituation are closely realted. We further want to completely understand the molecular processes that lead to synaptic depression and eventually to habituation. In addition, we want to identify different neurotransmitter receptors and pathways that are able to interfere with the startle pathway and are therefore candidates to mediate sensory gating and emotional effects on startle. Our work will provide the first comprehensive description of a mammalian learning task and it will help to significantly advance the basic knowledge about how human and animal brains generate behaviour and behavioural plasticity.
Program
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
359365-2008
Name nom
Schmid, Susanne
Department département
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Organization id
36
Institution établissement
University of Western Ontario
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2007
Competition year année de concours
2008
Award amount
48100
Program id
EQPEQ
Program name en
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Program name fr
Outils et instruments de recherche - catégorie 1 (<150 000$)
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
12
Committee name en
Psychology: Brain, Behaviour & Cognitive Sciences
Committee name fr
Psychologie: Cerveau, comportement et science cognitive
Area of application code
1201
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Life sciences (including biotechnology)
Area of application fr
Sciences de la vie (y compris biotechnologie)
Research subject code
6309
Research subject group en
Psychology
Research subject group fr
Psychologie
Research subject en
Behavioural neuroscience --learning
Research subject fr
Neurologie du comportement -- apprentissage
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
Combining electrophysiology and behavioural tests to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms of behaviour and learning
Keyword
NA
Application summary
It is one of the major challenges for modern Neuroscience to find out how behaviour and behavioural plasticity is generated in the mammalian brain. We will combine in vitro electrophysiology with behavioural and pharmacological tests in vivo in order to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying behaviour and learning. We use a well established simple model - the mammalian startle response - in order to be able to connect cellular events to behaviour. The startle response is mediated by a short and well described primary pathway, it can easily be quantified and it is modulated by sensory gating mechanisms, emotions and learning. One prominent intrinsic startle modulation is habituation to the repeated presentation of startle stimuli. Habituation is considered one of the most essential learning tasks and we all perform habituation learning throughout our daily life without noticing it.After refining the knowledge about the central pathway that mediates startle responses, we are now interested in cellular mechanisms of startle modulations. We were able to identify the cellular mechanism presumably underlying short-term habituation of startle responses in rodents: secondary sensory neurons within the primary startle pathway are subject to synaptic depression upon repeated activation. Based on this, the goal of our studies is to demonstrate that synaptic depression and habituation are closely realted. We further want to completely understand the molecular processes that lead to synaptic depression and eventually to habituation. In addition, we want to identify different neurotransmitter receptors and pathways that are able to interfere with the startle pathway and are therefore candidates to mediate sensory gating and emotional effects on startle. Our work will provide the first comprehensive description of a mammalian learning task and it will help to significantly advance the basic knowledge about how human and animal brains generate behaviour and behavioural plasticity.
