Vet school faculty secures VISION ERC Grant for pioneering neuroscience research

Dr Nikolas Perentos, Assistant Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine, has secured a VISION ERC Grant from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) for a pioneering study investigating how the brain supports spatial navigation and memory under natural conditions.

The project will record neural activity in freely moving sheep, allowing researchers to explore how the brain functions as animals navigate real-world environments and social contexts. This approach moves beyond the highly controlled laboratory settings that have traditionally dominated neuroscience research.

By combining neuroscience with innovative experimental approaches, the project aims to answer fundamental questions about how neural circuits allow animals to navigate complex environments and form memories during natural behaviour. The findings could deepen our understanding of brain function and provide new insights into disorders that affect memory and navigation, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

In a statement, Dr Perentos said: ‘I am incredibly grateful to the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) for making this project possible. Much of what we know about the brain comes from studies performed in highly controlled laboratory settings. Our aim is to take neuroscience beyond the lab and study the neural circuits underlying navigation and memory in natural environments and social contexts.’

Photo: Dr Nikolaos Perentos (left) and Ms Elisa Bosio, Head of Rankings Administration (second from right), with Mr Theodoros Loukaidis, Director General of the RIF (right), and other RIF representatives.