Objectives

• Development of a completely new experimental platform providing genetically engineered brain-markers for non-invasive staining
• Fast 3D imaging of odour-induced activities in specific neurones selected by gene promotors
• Recording calcium activity patterns simultaneously in multiple neuropiles like the antennal lobe, the mushroom body (MB) and the lateral horn (LH).
  

  Partners

  • University of Düsseldorf, Institute for Evolutionary Genetics, Germany, Research group for Evolutionary Genetics headed by Martin Beye
  • Centre National de 'la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France, Evolbee Research Team (Evolution; Genomes, Behavior and Ecology) headed by Jean-Christophe Sandoz

  Financing

  • 2 years Post-doc fellowship from Fondazione Caritro 2020 - 2022

Objectives

• How do plant-derived chemicals affect animal behaviour?
• Have neuroactive compounds produced by plants evolved not (or not only) as a mere deterrent for animals, but also as a plant tool to attract and manipulate animal behaviour?
• Plant-animal interaction from new ecological and neurobiological perspectives
• Model: ant-plant relationships mediated by extra-floral nectar (EFN)
• Combined approach involving plant chemistry and physiology, ethology and neurobiology, transcriptomic and microbial ecology

Partners

• International Laboratory of  Plant Neurobiology, University of Firenze, Stefano Mancuso (Coordinator)
• Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Franco Faoro
• Myrmecology Lab, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Università degli Studi di Parma, Donato Antonio Grasso
• Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di Siena, Massimo Nepi

Financing

• 3 years project financed by National PRIN program of the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research 2019 - 2022

BRANDY Project page

Methods

• coordination of common teaching activities
• support of students’ interest and engagement in brain network dynamics throughout all stages of their early academic carrier
• formation of a collaborative environment for young academics

Objectives

• Foundation of a Strategic Unit for the Interdisciplinary Research on Brain Network Dynamics
• Creation of a cluster of experts in this fast-growing field of research
• Development of an infrastructure, optimized for information exchange among the partners
• Formation of a collaborative environment for young academics with different skills for common research initiatives
• Generation of visibility of our actions for the international research community

Project coordinator

• Albrecht Haase (DF & CIMeC)

Partners

Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC)

• Unit leader: Jorge Jovicich
• Project members: Daniel Baldauf, Ludovico Minati, Carlo Miniussi

Department of Physics (DF)

• Unit leader: Paolo Bettotti
• Project members: Renzo Antolini, Lorenzo Pavesi, Leonardo Ricci

Department of Information Engineering and Computer Sciences (DISI)

• Unit Leader: Lorenzo Bruzzone
• Project member: Nicu Sebe

Centre for Integrative Biology (CIBIO)

• Unit Leader: Marco Canossa

Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK)

• Paolo Avesani, Luca Faes, Emanuele Olivetti

Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)

• Angelo Bifone, Alessandro Gozzi, Stefano Panzeri

Financing

• 3 year strategic project financed by the Strategic Plan 2017-2021 of the University of Trento

STEFANIE Project page

Methods

• functional imaging of different regions along the odour processing pathway
• controlled perfusion of the brain with active substances during imaging
• comparative behavioural studies using PER

Objectives

• determine brain regions sensitive to neonicotinoid pesticides
• quantify relevant doses for the onset of effects in the olfactory system
• compare effects in the brain to behavioural symptoms in field studies

Project coordinator

• Albrecht Haase (DF & CIMeC)

Partners

• Sergio Angeli (University of Bolzano)
• Gianfranco Anfora (FEM)
• Paolo Fontana and Valeria Malagnini (FEM)

Financing

• 3 year project financed by the Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano

Methods

• Conditioning experiments for associative learning of magnetic field stimuli
• Functional imaging of the visual system under magnetic field modulation

Objectives

• identify the mechanism, the brain region, and the neurons that provide magnetic sensitivity
• compare the theoretical models of radical pairs against the magnetic nanoparticle model

Methods

• high temporal resolution imaging of responses to odour stimuli
• analysis of oscillatory activity in the honeybee brain
• development of an optogenetic toolbox for real-time modulation of the olfactory processing network

Objectives

• temporal coding in odour perception
• connectivity in the olfactory network
• changes in the network properties under optogenetic modulation of single nodes

Project coordinator

• Albrecht Haase (DF & CIMeC)

Partners

• Nathan Weisz (University of Salzburg)
• Paolo Macchi and Anna Cereseto (CIBIO)
• Renzo Antolini (DF)
• Luca Faes (FBK) and Giandomenico Nollo (DII)
• Gianfranco Anfora (FEM)

Financing

• as a Strategic Project by the Università degli Studi di Trento

Methods

• studying odour coding of compounds that share chemical properties but differ in molecular vibration and vice versa
• develope in vitro assays to study odour receptor interaction

Objectives

• trace back insects' ability to distinguish chemically identical odour compounds
• study possible influence of molecular vibrations
• exclude alternative explanations for differential odour coding

Partners

• Paolo Macchi  (CIBIO)
• Renzo Antolini (DF)
• Luca Turin and Efthimios Skoulakis (BSRC "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece)
• Marco Paoli and Giovanni Galizia (University of Konstanz)

Financing

• supported by an EMBO Short-Term Fellowship ASTF 108-2015

Methods

• two-photon in vivo imaging of insect brains in vivo to outperform conventional microscopy by spatial and temporal resolution, penetration depth and photodamage limitation

Objectives

• Odour coding principles in the honeybee brain
• Morphological and functional plasticity in the honeybee brain after associative or non-associative learning
• In of odour perception due to neurotoxic pesticides as a possible cause for the western world honeybee population decline (Colony Collapse Disorder)

Project coordinator

• Albrecht Haase (DF & CIMeC)

Financing

•  as Research unit (IBRAIM) by the Provincia Autonoma di Trento

Methods

• behaviour experiments in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila suzukii
• optical imaging of transgenetic fruitflies

Objectives

• differences between D. suzukii e D. melanogaster regarding reception, behaviour, and neuroanatomy.
• development of sustainable strategies to explore these results to counteract the diffusion of D. suzukii.

Project coordinator

• Albrecht Haase (DF & CIMeC)

Partners

• Elisabetta Versace and Giorgio Vallortigara (ACN lab, CIMeC)
• Gianfranco Anfora (FEM)
• Mauro Mandrioli (University of Brescia)

Financing

• by the Communal Government of the City of Rovereto

Methods

• synthesis and functionalization of photo-sensitive silicon Nanowires
• in vitro experiments on IR activation, and quantification of phototoxic effects

Objectives

• development of a photosensitizer that is flexibly activatable at very different wavelength
• characterization of functionality in cell cultures

Project coordinator

• Roberto Verucchi (Institute of materials for electronics and magnetism, CNR)

Partners

• Roberta Tatti (IMEM, CNR)
• Albrecht Haase and Renzo Antolini (DF and CIMeC)
• Thomas Paternoster and Nicola Berti (Sandoz Industries)

Financing

•  by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto