CerveauMoisi – Strengthened French-Norwegian connection to uncover the neurotoxic potential of natural toxins

CerveauMoisi was intended to extend the successful collaboration between the Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Université de Strasbourg, France, and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway, established through the initial PHC AURORA Project DONNER on neurotoxicity of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. The purpose was to initiate contacts to build an extended research consortium to study important food- and feedborne mycotoxins, individually or in mixtures, by including additional relevant endpoints to appraise their neurotoxic effects and contribution to the development of neuropsychiatric disorders and pain. To this aim, eleven French laboratories were contacted in Strasbourg, Marseille, Montpellier and Sophia Antipolis, and ten laboratories were contacted in Oslo, Ås, Trondheim and Bergen. All responded positively.  “In person” meetings were well-received and promoted stimulating exchanges. All scientists who met were very enthusiastic, expressed interest and willingness to launch a larger neurotoxicology network to address current gaps in knowledge by combining original and complementary animal and cellular models together with the most recent technological developments (multiple-omics, bioinformatics and computational sciences) and epidemiological studies.