Three researchers from ICVS were awarded funding by “Fundação Bial” of €60,000 each to carry out their research projects in neuroscience. The financial support will fund projects investigating the role of neural circuits in learning, memory, and cognitive flexibility, with a total funding amount of approximately €180,000.
Bárbara Coimbra secured funding for her project entitled Cholinergic Dynamics of Projections from Laterodorsal Tegmentum to the Nucleus Accumbens in Associative Learning. Coimbra’s work will focus on the cholinergic projections from the Laterodorsal Tegmentum (LDT) to the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) and their influence on associative learning. Using advanced techniques, including dual-color fiber photometry, miniaturized calcium imaging, and optogenetics, the study aims to map the dynamics of this underexplored circuit and its role in modulating reward processing and learning.
João Oliveira received funds to investigate the neural signals underlying memory processing in cortico-limbic circuits. The project entitled Decoding the Neural Signals Underlying Memory Processing in Cortico-Limbic Circuits, will examine how intercellular signaling shapes neuronal oscillations during different stages of memory processing. Oliveira’s research will focus on the role of astrocytes, the star-shaped glial cells, in integrating circuit activity during memory functions.
From left to right: Bárbara Coimbra, João Oliveira, Nuno Dinis Alves
Nuno Dinis Alves was awarded for his project Prefrontal Serotonin 1A Receptor Activation as a Key Determinant of Cognitive Flexibility. Alves aims to explore how the serotonin receptor 5-HT1AR in the prefrontal cortex influences cognitive flexibility, a key ability for adapting to changing environments. Through techniques like optogenetics, fiber photometry, and positron emission tomography (PET), his research aims to provide insights into the neural mechanisms that enable flexible thinking.
The Fundação Bial Funding will support these innovative projects, contributing to a deeper understanding of the neural processes that govern learning, memory, and cognitive flexibility. The findings from these studies could have relevant implications for understanding behavior and neurological conditions.
