Record #202854 - GSI Repository

GEMiNI

A genetic model for neurorehabilitation

Coordinator	Universidade Nova de Lisboa ; FACULDADE DE CIENCIAS MEDICAS DA UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Grant period	2018-04-01 - 2020-03-31
Funding body	European Union
Call number	H2020-MSCA-IF-2016
Grant number	752891
Identifier	G:(EU-Grant)752891

Note: Coordinated walking in vertebrates and multi-legged invertebrates such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by an evolutionarily conserved network capable to control movement in a fast, stable, and energy-efficient way. At the same time, it provides the flexibility to adapt to changes in the terrain, load, and internal motor representations due to disease or injury. Currently, the contribution of different brain structures responsible for the recovery process is only partially understood and, importantly, the role of specific genes remains mostly elusive. Preliminary data shows that adult Drosophila flies in which the two middle legs were amputated improve their gait performance gradually over the course of a few days engaging in a more controlled gait. We also find that mutants for the learning and memory gene rutabaga lack any kind of short- or long-term recovery. These results suggest that flies can readjust their motor circuitry upon injury and that a mechanism of synaptic plasticity might be involved. The overall goal of this proposal is to establish the fruit fly Drosophila as a genetic model for neurorehabilitation and recovery after amputation, which will allow the identification of new genes and mechanisms of motor plasticity. In order to carry out these aims, I will take advantage of the sophisticated Drosophila neurogenetic toolkit that allows gene manipulation and the execution of in vivo gain and loss-of-function experiments in a controlled number of neurons. In addition, I will use an adult fly walking assay that I developed during my postdoc, the FlyWalker system, which allows a detailed quantification of locomotor activity. Identifying genes and molecular components that affect the process of plasticity and motor adaptation will allow us to identify new biochemical pathways that influence the recovery process and design new approaches to enhance recovery outcomes.

Recent Publications

There are no publications

Record created 2017-06-14, last modified 2023-02-08

Similar records

Add to personal basket
Export as Author List with IDs BibTeX (UTF-8), EndNote XML, EndNote Text, RIS, MARC, Print MARC, MARCXML, DC,
Request correction
Submit fulltext

GSI Homepage \| GSI Library \| English Deutsch \| guest :: login GSI Repository
Search	Submit	Personalize Your alerts Your baskets Your searches	Help