The initiation and maintenance of organized movement through the basal ganglia is strongly influenced by its feed-forward and feedback inhibitory architecture. The substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) contribute to the overall output of the basal ganglia.
Funded Awards
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative funds a wide-variety of research: toolmakers, trainees, individual labs testing new hypotheses, and large, team-based efforts aiming to catalyze neuroscience inquiry forward. Explore NIH BRAIN Initiative funded awards listed below. Click on the project title to learn more about it within NIH RePORTER.
To see more NIH-funded awards and associated publications, please visit the NIH RePORTER.
Title
Investigator(s)
Institution
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunity #
Project #
TitleDissecting the inhibitory architecture governing basal ganglia output
Investigator
Rebekah C Evans
Institute
national institute of neurological disorders and stroke
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
TitleDual Lead Thalamic DBR-DBS Interface for Closed Loop Control of Severe Essential Tremor
Investigator
Kelly D Foote, Karim G Oweiss
Institute
university of florida
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Abstract
Essential Tremor (ET) is a progressive disease that leads to significant disability and
markedly diminished quality of life.
TitleEffects of standard fMRI calibrations on the diverse microvascular blood flow and oxygenation responses in cortical layers
Investigator
Ikbal Sencan-Egilmez
Institute
massachusetts general hospital
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
This proposed project focuses on quantifying the spatial and temporal diversity in cortical oxygen metabolism and neurovascular coupling, and informing next generation of biophysical models of the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measurements by integr
TitleEpigenomic cell-type classification and regulatory element identification in the human brain
Investigator
M Margarita Behrens, Joseph R Ecker
Institute
salk institute for biological studies
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
Understanding the exact cell-type composition in the different regions of the human brain is a fundamental step
when trying to integrate physiological, behavioral, neurochemical and molecular data. At present, although
major categories of cell-types present in the human brain have been
TitleExpanding access to open-source data acquisition software for next-generation silicon probes
Investigator
Joshua H Siegle
Institute
allen institute
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
We plan to provide software support services for Neuropixels probes, a groundbreaking new tool for recording
electrical signals from the brain.
TitleExploring the role of reactive astrocytes in brain inflammation using a novel combinatorial strategy
Investigator
Todd A Fiacco, Martin Miguel Riccomagno, Emma H Wilson
Institute
university of california riverside
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
While numerous transgenic tools and approaches exist to enable manipulation of gene expression in
many cell types in the healthy brain, tools designed to target and study cells present only in the dis-
eased or damaged brain are lacking.
TitleFunctional Dissection of Neural Circuitry Underlying Parenting Behavior
Investigator
Weizhe Hong
Institute
university of california los angeles
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary/Abstract
Impairments in social functioning is a prominent, debilitating symptom in many neuropsychiatric disorders, such
as autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder.
TitleFunctional dissection of thalamocortical interactions through genetically-defined TRN subnetworks
Investigator
Guoping Feng, Michael M Halassa
Institute
massachusetts institute of technology
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), the major source of thalamic inhibition, plays essential roles in
sensory processing, arousal and cognition.
TitleFunctional implications of a patch/matrix-like compartmental organization in the mouse inferior colliculus
Investigator
Alexandria Marie Lesicko
Institute
university of pennsylvania
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
A major unresolved question in systems neuroscience is whether specialized anatomical structures support
specific functions in behavior. Therefore, this proposal will bridge the gap between anatomical circuit diagrams
and their predicted functional roles.
TitleGenerating a formal set of collaborative standards for sharing behavioral data and task designs to enable reproducibility in neuroscience
Investigator
Stephen Anthony Edwards, Adam Kepecs
Institute
cold spring harbor laboratory
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
The goal of this project is to develop an archival data format and a formal task specification
language to serve as standards for describing behavioral experiments.
TitleGenetically engineered anterograde monosynaptic viral tracers for multi-species neural circuit analysis
Investigator
Gregory D Horwitz, Rozanne M Sandri-Goldin, Bert L Semler, Xiangmin Xu
Institute
university of california-irvine
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary
The development of trans-synaptic viral tracers is an important component of the BRAIN Initiative. At present,
the lack of viral-based anterograde monosynaptic tracing tools with high signal strength and low toxicity is a gap
in neuroscience.
TitleHead-mounted miniature microscopes for combined calcium imaging and electrophysiological measurement of neural circuit function in deep brain regions of behaving macaques
Investigator
Jonathan J Nassi
Institute
inscopix, inc.
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
A consensus has emerged in the Neurosciences over the last decade regarding the critical importance of
understanding brain function at the level of neural circuits.
TitleHigh-density microgrid development for human neural interface devices
Investigator
Daniel R Cleary
Institute
university of california, san diego
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) offer hope to treat otherwise intractable neurological disease. However, the
current state of BCI is still short of the potential; solutions to fundamental biological and engineering problems
must be found before BCIs can be broadly used for patient care.
TitleHigh-throughput Physiological Micro-connectivity Mapping in Vivo
Investigator
Hillel Adesnik
Institute
university of california berkeley
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
Mapping the synaptic connectivity of brain circuits is essential for obtaining a mechanistic understanding of the
neural basis of behavior, learning, and cognition.
TitleHighly specific, renewable, and cost-effective antibody toolbox for 3D proteomic phenotyping of the brain
Investigator
Kwanghun Chung, Daniel J Eichinger, Ignacio Pino, Heng Zhu
Institute
massachusetts institute of technology
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary
System-wide analysis of cell types in the brain is essential for understanding how complex cellular interactions
give rise to various brain functions.
TitleImplantable Microarray Probe for Real-Time Glutamate and GABA Detection
Investigator
Nicolaie Andrei Moldovan
Institute
alcorix
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary
There is an enormous need for the development of a new class of neurotransmitter (NT) sensors that are versatile,
selective, sensitive and reliable to allow investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms of behavior and disease symptoms.
This STTR proposal will focus on implementin
TitleImplantable Recording and Integrated Stimulation (IRIS) device for cortical experiments
Investigator
Andrew Wilder
Institute
ripple, llc
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
We propose to build a hermetically sealed implantable stimulation and recording system to enable
closed-loop experiments while mitigating the need for percutaneous leads.
TitleInput-specific imaging and manipulation of synaptic plasticity underlying social memory
Investigator
Mary L Phillips
Institute
max planck florida corporation
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary / Abstract
Ascertaining the neural basis of behavior has been a cornerstone goal since the conception of neurobiology.
While activity recording and loss-of-function studies have shed light on brain regions involved and necessary for
the expression of certain behaviors, they are unabl
TitleIntercellular TWEAK/Fn14 Cytokine Signaling in Sensory-Dependent Circuit Refinement
Investigator
Lucas M Cheadle
Institute
harvard medical school
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
During postnatal brain development, newly assembled neural circuits are refined through the strengthening of a subset of synaptic connections and the concurrent elimination of others.
TitleInterneurons differentially regulate discrete pathways from ventral hippocampus
Investigator
Jennifer Donegan
Institute
university of texas hlth science center
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Hippocampal microcircuits are comprised of excitatory pyramidal cells, which integrate information and innervate
downstream brain regions, and inhibitory interneurons, which function locally to regulate pyramidal cell activity
and synchronicity.