The Role of Front-Orbito-Cerebellar Unity in Sustained Motivation

Objetivo temático: Good health and wellbeing | Quality education

Área Científica: Basic Medicine - Neuroscience | Psychophysiology

Síntese do Projeto: The FOCUS project (“Front-Orbito-Cerebellar Unity in Sustained Motivation”) investigates how a specific brain network—linking the cerebellum, ventral tegmental area (VTA), and prefrontal cortex (PFC)—supports our ability to maintain attention over time, especially when motivation begins to wane. While traditional theories of attention emphasize resource depletion, FOCUS adopts a modern framework suggesting that lapses in sustained attention are often due to shifts in motivation and a default tendency toward mind-wandering. The project is driven by three core objectives: To characterize the intrinsic features of the cerebellar-VTA-PFC (Cb-VTA-PFC) circuit and relate them to performance in attention tasks. To clarify how dopamine signaling, modulated by cerebellar inputs to the VTA and PFC, influences sustained attention and motivational states. To manipulate this circuit using tools like fiber photometry and optogenetics to directly assess its causal role in attention and motivation. By targeting this underexplored but potentially crucial brain circuit, the project aims to uncover novel neurobiological mechanisms that explain individual variability in sustained attention and may inform new interventions for attention-related disorders like ADHD, schizophrenia, or depression.

Investigador Responsável na UC: João Miguel Peça

Unidade Orgânica UC: Universidade de Coimbra

Instituições participantes no projeto: Universidade de Coimbra (UC)

Instituição Financiadora/Gestora: Fundação BIAL

Programa de Financiamento: APOIOS À INVESTIGAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA 2024/2025

Período de execução: 15/04/2025 a 14/04/2028

Custo total elegível (EUR): 56000

Técnico do projeto: Sónia Branco (sonia.branco@uc.pt)

Contacto: +351 239 247 019