| Grant number: | 09/00473-0 |
| Support type: | Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants |
| Duration: | June 01, 2009 - May 31, 2013 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology |
| Principal researcher: | Fabio Papes |
| Grantee: | Fabio Papes |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
| Associated scholarship(s): | 12/21786-0 - Ascertainment and analysis of olfactory maps in the brain,
BP.DD 12/01689-0 - Molecular study of the epigenome involved in the regulation of olfactory receptor gene expression, BP.DD 11/20491-3 - Study of the expression profile of the androgen receptor in the pheromone-responsive sensory organ (vomeronasal organ), BP.IC 10/01211-7 - Molecular study of receptors in the mammalian Olfactory System., BP.MS |
Abstract
A fundamental property of the nervous system in all animal species is the transformation of sensory stimuli into neural activity, leading to the generation of behavioral and endocrine changes in response to the initial stimulation. Over the last decades, great efforts have been taken to molecularly characterize each of the mammalian sensory systems (visual, auditory, olfactory, somatosensory, etc.). However, little is known of how such systems are integrated in a multimodal fashion to generate the appropriate behaviors and endocrine responses. This topic has enormous medical implications, since numerous human pathologies are the result of dysfunctions in the way the brain integrates sensory information. In this project, the olfactory system will be employed as a model to study the sensory integrative properties of the mammalian nervous system, using a novel biological paradigm where innate behaviors are elicited in mice in the presence of odors from a variety of different species through convergence of two sensory systems. We will study the molecular and cellular logic of odor perception via the identification of neuronal cell types and receptors at the sensory interface. We will also give the first steps towards understanding how the brain interprets sensory information, through the characterization of neural pathways involved in this process and the description of how two sensory systems converge in the brain to generate a specific behavior. In combination, these data will help us understand how the brain translates sensory input into behavioral output, enabling advances in the study and treatment of human diseases characterized by sensory integration dysfunctions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia and several kinds of phobia. (AU)
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