The Neurobiology of Social Context-Dependent Stress Responses

Sociability –an individual's tendency to engage in group interactions– is a fundamental property of life. Recently, sociability has been identified as a strong mortality predictor in humans. Although affecting health, we lack an understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying sociability. I here propose that the presence of others modulates an individual's response to an environmental stressor.

Being evolutionary conserved, I will investigate the sociability neurocircuitry in the model system Drosophila melanogaster.

I will tackle this by focussing on 4 objectives: WP1) Delineation of sensory cues and receptors modulating social context-dependent stress responses through behavioural analysis of candidate receptor gene mutations, targeted RNAi and pheromonal bioassays, WP2) Identification of neurons processing sensory information relevant to stress by functional investigation of the neurocircuitry connecting mechanosensory, pheromonal and temperature stress sensing through connectome, trans-Tango and optogenetic approaches, WP3) Mapping of higher brain stress-responsive foci integrating stressor and social information through Ca2+-imaging, WP4) Dissection of the hormonal pathway effectuating social-regulated stress responses via tissue-targeted genetic knockdown and overexpression of pathway components and stress response assays.

Addressing key questions relevant to human health will bring scientific Excellence and Innovative advances to the current knowledge gap in Behavioural, Neuro & translational sciences which will be communicated to the scientific and general public.

The fellowship will enhance my personal research potential and career perspectives by acquiring novel scientific and transferable skills, training of myself and others and increase my international mobility, network and interdisciplinary transfer though secondments.

This proposal is in line with the Horizon2020 Responsible research & innovation objective 'Science with and for Society’.