Amélie Freal (FGA) was awarded an ERC Starting Grant by the European Union for the “PLaisTICITY” project to investigate mechanisms underlying Axon Initial Segment plasticity
The grant of 1.5M euro will allow her to expand her research group to further investigate the mechanisms underlying Axon Initial Segment (AIS) plasticity. AIS composition and structure control the generation and the shape of action potentials. Therefore, the precise molecular organization of the AIS is a major determinant of neuronal communication. Plasticity of the AIS recently emerged as a central regulator of network activity homeostasis, however the mechanisms involved remain to be fully unraveled.
Making use of super-resolution and live imaging of AIS ion channels and scaffolding proteins, in combination with proteomics and electrophysiology, the “PLaisTICITY” project will address the mechanisms of AIS plasticity to better understand how this process participates in the regulation of network homeostasis.
The team’s website can be found here