The functional contributions of prefrontal dopamine and norepinephrine projections to cognitive and social resilience (C02)

• Subject Area: Biological Psychiatry
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264810226

C02 investigates how neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-projecting dopamine (DA) and norepine-phrine (NE) neurons and interactions between the PFC, ventral tegmental area and locus coeruleus promote resilience to stress-induced social, but mainly also cognitive, deficits. To this end, we will perform in vivo recordings of optogene¬tically identified PFC-projecting DA and NE neurons as well as simultaneous recordings of neural activity in all three structures in mice after chronic stressor exposure. We will examine the functional contributions of the PFC DA and NE projections to cognitive and social resilience. The causal role of resilience-associated neural activity patterns will be probed using optogenetic manipulations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1193: Neurobiology of Resilience to stress-related mental dysfunction: from understanding mechanisms to promoting prevention
• Applicant Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
• Co-Applicant Institution: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
• Project Head: Dr. Sevil Duvarci