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Projects

Functional brain imaging in a novel transgenic model of Drosophila suzukii

Objectives

  • establish two-photon brain imaging methods in D. suzukii.olfactory system
  • identify common features in the neuronal code of attractive and aversive odours
  • apply those in future pest control strategies against D. suzukii. 

    Partners

    • Research unit for Entomology and agricultural zoology, C3A - Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, headed by Gianfranco Anfora 
    • Research lab for Evolution and Development of Morphology and Behaviour, Institute of Developmental Biology of Marseille (IBDM), CNRS, France, headed by Benjamin Prud’homme

    Financing

    • 2 years Post-doc fellowship from Fondazione Caritro 2021 - 2023

Genetically engineering of biomarkers in the bee brain

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 financed by CIMeC 2021 - 2023

PRIN 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

BRANDY: 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)

  • 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: 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

IBRAIM: 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)
  • Mauro Mandrioli (University of Brescia)

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
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