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Funded Grants

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Mapping neuronal circuits using a novel transsynaptic labelling approach

Project Overview

The brain is more than the sum of its parts. Truly understanding the brain’s most intricate properties requires both a list of its individual parts, that is a census of the types of neurons it contains, and a map of how these parts are interconnected to form neural circuits. Hundreds of different types of neurons are estimated to compose the mammalian brain, each embedded within complex circuits. The challenge of our generation consists of mapping the connections between these neuronal populations. Current approaches to map circuits have limitations that prevent their widespread adoption or their use in high-throughput experiments. We propose a novel transsynaptic labelling approach that will enable the mapping of interconnected neuronal populations by specific binding of ligand and synthetic receptor across the synaptic cleft. This method will allow genetic targeting of the pre- and post-synaptic components of a circuit, and thus facilitates the investigation of its function. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by mapping the circuit of a specific type of dopamine neurons that we hypothesize is involved in reward processing. Through our new transsynaptic labelling approach, this proposal could have a significant impact beyond understanding dopamine circuitry and provide a new toolset to accomplish the daunting task of mapping the brain’s neuronal circuits.

Principal Investigator

Jean-Francois Poulin , McGill University

Partners and Donors

The Azrieli Foundation

Project Complete

Mapping neuronal circuits using a novel transsynaptic labelling approach

  • Program Type

    Capacity building grants

  • Area of research

    Central Nervous System

  • Disease Area

    Other

  • Competition

    Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research

  • Province

    Québec

  • Start Date

    2020

  • Total Grant Amount

    $100,000

  • Health Canada Contribution

    $50,000

Contact Us

1200 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1600, Montreal, Quebec
H3B 4G7

+1 (514) 989-2989 info@braincanada.ca

Please note donations of $20.00 CAD or greater will receive an electronic tax receipt, issued by Brain Canada Foundation.

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Territorial acknowledgement

The offices of Brain Canada Foundation are located on the traditional, ancestral territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka Peoples, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. We honour and pay respect to elders past, present and emerging, and dedicate ourselves to moving forward in the spirit of partnership, collaboration, and reconciliation. In our work, we focus our efforts on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, particularly those that pertain to improving health for Indigenous Peoples and that focus on advancing our own learning on Indigenous issues.

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Registration number: 89105 2094 RR0001

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