A candidate gene approach for the study of mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders

Because of the expected increase in the incidence and prevalence of many neurodegenerative diseases, there is a pressing need for proper and effective treatments. It has been recently shown that cognitive decline, which is the loss of the ability to interpret, learn and remember environmental features; is one of the earliest events in neurodegenerative disorders. I firmly believe these early events should be studied in depth. Here, I will employ Caenorhabditis elegans, a 1 mm worm which exhibits many appealing features for neuroscience investigations. Based on a recent study, in which several novel neurodegeneration modifying factors were identified, the first phase of this project will be conducted. Firstly, I will study the role of these modifier genes in cognitive decline. Next a set of interesting modifier genes will be fully characterized, allowing the subsequent investigation of the effect of these genes on neural activity. Finally, optogenetics will allow to cell-specifically modulate neuronal activity with high temporal resolution. As neurodegeneration damages specific neurons, this technique attempts to restore the functioning of these neurons. To conclude, this project will give more clarity about underlying detrimental mechanisms that can be attributed to the studied modifier genes.

Publication year:2020