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Funded Grants

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Mapping the cellular origins of circuit vulnerability in neurodevelopmental disorders

Project Overview

The brain is an incredibly complex organ. Much of the brain’s complexity may be attributed to the circuitry that resides within. Synaptic connections are the key units of information transduction and therefore and therefore an increasing amount of research focus has centered on understanding how they normally function and how they are disrupted in diseased states. In neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), synaptic connections are thought to be altered, thus affecting brain circuitry. However, to grasp the mechanisms that underlie this process, researchers must often rely on complex genetic tools as well as the availability of robust antibody-mediated detection methods. Here, we describe the generation of two multifunctional mouse lines that allow for the visualization of synaptic proteins (and consequently their role in synapse formation) as well as identifying their cell of origin. Using this data, we will perform three-dimensional mapping of these cells to gain deeper insight into the brain circuits that they impact. When completed, this project will not only benefit the synaptic biology and ASD research communities in providing critical information about the normal function of these two proteins and how their disruption leads to disease, but will also set the stage for interrogating virtually any difficult-to-grasp brain protein in space and time.

Principal Investigator

Maxime Rousseaux , University of Ottawa

Partners and Donors

Azrieli Foundation

Project Complete

Mapping the cellular origins of circuit vulnerability in neurodevelopmental disorders

  • Grant Type

    Capacity building grants

  • Area of research

    Central Nervous System

  • Disease Area

    Autism

  • Competition

    Azrieli Foundation – Brain Canada Early-Career Capacity Building grants

  • Province

    Ontario

  • Start Date

    2018

  • 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 all online donations 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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  • About
    • What We Do
    • EDI Action Plan
    • Leadership
    • Team
    • Annual Report
    • Publications
    • Careers
  • Brain Conditions
    • One Brain
    • ALS
    • Autism (ASD)
    • Brain Cancer
    • Brain Injury
    • Dementia
    • Epilepsy
    • Mental Illness
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Parkinson’s
    • Stroke
    • More
  • Research
    • Programs
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Program Partners
    • Announcements
  • Impact
    • Research Impact Stories
    • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
    • Brain Health in Indigenous Communities
    • Women’s Brain Health
    • Mind Over Matter
  • How You Can Help
    • Ways to Give
    • Start a Fundraiser
    • Workplace Giving
    • The Great Minds
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