Projects
Partner manipulation in plant-insect relationships
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
Brain Network Dynamics
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)
Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Financing
- 3 year strategic project financed by the Strategic Plan 2017-2021 of the University of Trento
Sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on the honeybee brain: from single neuron imaging to colony studies.
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
Neural correlates of magneto-reception in insects
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
Of bees and men: Development of an optogenetic animal model to study oscillatory neural networks.
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
Fundamental processes in odorant receptor interaction: beyond the shape theory of olfaction
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
Insect brain imaging: from fundamental neuroscience to pest control
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
Sustainable strategies against infesting flies: from olfactory perception to a safeguard of small fruits in Trentino
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)
Financing
- by the Communal Government of the City of Rovereto
Multifunctional nanohybrid photosensitizers for Photodynamic therapy via X-ray and IR activation
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