海角社区 and the University of Zurich/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, represented by the Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), came together in 2021 to create a Joint Pilot Project Grant funding scheme.听 The goal is to foster collaborative research and training opportunities in fundamental or clinical research related to neurodevelopmental conditions.听
This year, two 1-year Pilot Project Grants will each receive up to C$25,000 from the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research at The Neuro and CHF19,000 from ZNZ.
鈥淐ongratulations to this year鈥檚 recipients,鈥� says Stefano Stifani, ACAR鈥檚 Associate Director of Fundamental Research.
鈥淲e are confident that their proposed research will lead to strengthened synergy between our institutions, and that data generated through these collaborations will fuel researchers in pursuing further comprehensive external research funding.鈥�
听 听 听 听 听听
Promoting the sleep and learning capacity of autistic youth
Reut Gruber, PhD, 海角社区 (left) and , PhD, ZNZ (right)
Although the association between sleep and cognitive functioning in typically developing youth is well documented, there is little information regarding the association between sleep and cognitive functioning in autistic youth.听
Gruber and Huber aim to collect data supporting the concept that daytime cognitive functioning in autistic youth correlates with modifiable sleep EEG measures.听
"The proposed approach will integrate accrued knowledge, experience and expertise regarding sleep interventions (lab and school-based) for pediatric populations, and in studying sleep 鈥� cognition relationships in typically-developing and autistic adolescents. This requires our complementary expertise and therefore is not possible without a joint effort and continuing collaboration between the partner laboratories,鈥� says Gruber.听
鈥淥ur continued joint collaborative work is expected to open new, previously unattainable horizons in our ability to optimize cognitive functioning of autistic youth through sleep interventions.鈥�
听 听 听 听 听 
听 听 听 听 听 
Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at a single brain cell level
Rhalena Thomas, PhD, 海角社区 (left), and , PhD, ZNZ (right)听
鈥淒elays in brain maturation are common in ADHD. However, details about changes within the brain cells of individuals with ADHD are unknown,鈥� says Thomas.听
As part of the collaborative project, stem cells generated from the Translational Molecular Psychiatry lab led by Gr眉nblatt will be used to create models for ADHD.听
Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the team will get a transcriptional profile or snapshot of gene expression activity in hundreds of individual cells.听
They will then use sample pooling to get single cell sequencing data from stem cells as they develop into mature brain neurons and analyze the data using software created by Farhan and Thomas with the goal of identifying the differences in transcriptional profiles between ADHD and control cells at the single cell level.听
The partnership between 海角社区 and the University of Zurich/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology 鈥� as represented by the Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ) 鈥� supports international collaborative work and fosters scientific excellence in neurodevelopmental conditions.
For more information, contact:
stefano.stifani [at] mcgill.ca (Stefano Stifani) or wknecht [at] neuroscience.uzh.ch (Wolfgang Knecht)
