PROJECT SUMMARY
Tools for exclusively targeting neuronal and glial subtypes are needed to advance our understanding of the brain.
“Intersectional” systems improve targeting by restricting “reporter/effector” transgenes to a subdomain defined
by the expression overlap between two activating factors.
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 #
TitleIntersectional transgenic targeting of discrete neuronal and glial subtypes
Investigator
Jeffrey Mumm
Institute
johns hopkins university
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
TitleInvestigating Functional Ependymal Cell Heterogeneity in the Ventricular System
Investigator
Stephanie Redmond
Institute
university of california, san francisco
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary/Abstract:
Glial cells collectively outnumber neurons in the vertebrate brain, but mechanistic understanding of their
molecular subtypes and functions is lacking.
TitleLong-range neuronal projections: circuit blueprint or stochastic targeting? Rigorous classification of brain-wide axonal reconstructions
Investigator
Giorgio A Ascoli
Institute
george mason university
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
ABSTRACT (PROJECT SUMMARY)
The classification of neurons in the mammalian brain has long been a focus of intensive investigation in
neuroscience.
TitleMap Manager: Longitudinal image analysis with online editing and sharing.
Investigator
Robert Harry Cudmore
Institute
university of california at davis
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
The increasing availability and ease of use of confocal, two-photon, and light-sheet microscopes coupled with
rapid developments in fluorescent protein reporters have made 3D and functional imaging and its analysis a
central component of modern Neuroscience research.
TitleMapping Algorithmic State Space in the Human Brain
Investigator
Sameer Anil Sheth
Institute
baylor college of medicine
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
Humans have a remarkable ability to flexibly interact with the environment. A compelling demonstration of this
cognitive flexibility is our ability to respond correctly to novel contextual situations on the first attempt, without
prior rehearsal.
TitleMapping thalamo-striatal neuronal circuits underlying motivational drive
Investigator
Sofia Beas
Institute
national institute of mental health
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Motivational drive is an adaptive process that helps individuals overcome obstacles to obtain essential needs and hence ensure survival. Motivation is composed of two major components.
TitleMechanisms of basal forebrain control over sensory processing
Investigator
Elizabeth Hanson Moss
Institute
baylor college of medicine
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
A key problem in neuroscience is understanding how internal and external information are integrated in the brain to produce
sensory experiences, cognition, and behavioral responses.
TitleMinimally Invasive Ultrasonic Brain-Machine Interface
Investigator
Richard A Andersen, Mikhail Shapiro, Mickael Tanter
Institute
california institute of technology
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are one of the key motivating applications for the BRAIN Initiative’s drive to develop
innovative technologies for large-scale recording of neural activity, benefiting not only BMI, but many other neuroscience
studies.
TitleMolecular identity, cellular physiology, and in vivo functions of nucleus accumbens astrocytes
Investigator
Kay Elizabeth Linker
Institute
university of california los angeles
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary / Abstract
Astrocytes are pervasive throughout the CNS and are the most abundant non-neuronal cell type. They
are an essential component of neural circuits, and increasing evidence demonstrates they are specialized for
specific brain regions.
TitleMolecular recording to predict cell fate decisions and animal behavior
Investigator
Joseph D Dougherty, Robi D Mitra
Institute
washington university
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
The brain is remarkably complex, and our understanding of this organ is still in its infancy. Many
fundamental questions about brain development and function remain.
TitlemRNA Alternative Splicing Regulatory Networks in the Specification of Cortical Interneuron Subtypes
Investigator
Melissa Mckenzie Campbell
Institute
columbia university health sciences
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary/Abstract
Alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs is extensively employed by the nervous system to expand the transcriptomic
manifold.
TitleMulti-color optical voltage imaging of neural activity in behaving animals
Investigator
Mark J Schnitzer, Ganesh Vasan
Institute
stanford university
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Abstract
Groundbreaking work within the NIH BRAIN Initiative has revealed many new types of neurons and their
genetic signatures.
TitleMultimodal probes for multiscale calcium imaging
Investigator
Alan Jasanoff
Institute
massachusetts institute of technology
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
A major goal of the BRAIN Initiative is to promote the development of neural activity measurement tools that
bridge between spatial scales, so that the processing roles of individual neurons and microcircuits can be related
to broader regional or brain-wide dynamics.
TitleMultiplex interrogation of neuromodulatory signaling in behaving animals with enhanced depth and resolution
Investigator
Lin Tian, Mark E Vonzastrow
Institute
university of california at davis
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary
The dynamic adaptability of the mammalian brain to environmental changes is remarkable, as it is the complexity
of the networks of neurons underlying the operations that allow for such adaptations.
TitleNABOR: A Sustainable, High-quality Neuroscience Antibody Open Resource
Investigator
Melina Fan
Institute
addgene, inc.
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this project is to build an open-access recombinant antibody/affinity reagent resource for the
neuroscience community called NABOR (Neuroscience AntiBody Open Resource).
TitleNanosensors for sensitive brain-wide neurochemical imaging
Investigator
Alan Jasanoff
Institute
massachusetts institute of technology
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
The large-scale dynamics of neural circuitry depend on interactions among numerous neurochemical spe-
cies that play functionally distinct roles throughout the brain.
TitleNational Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research: A BRAIN Technology Integration and Dissemination Resource
Investigator
Mark H Ellisman
Institute
university of california, san diego
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This project aims to disseminate validated technologies and resources of the National Center for Microscopy
and Imaging Research (NCMIR) at UC San Diego to advance the completion of strategic goals of the BRAIN
Initiative.
TitleNeural dynamics of somatosensory guidance of dexterous movement in intact and stroke-injured networks
Investigator
Preeya Khanna
Institute
university of california, san francisco
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
Stroke-causing illness, disability, and early death is set to double worldwide within the next 15 years.
TitleNeural mechanisms of multisensory auditory-olfactory integration in the auditory cortex
Investigator
Nathan Vogler
Institute
university of pennsylvania
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
PROJECT SUMMARY
Living organisms interact with complex environments that are inherently multisensory. Within these
environments, the brain must integrate information from multiple sensory modalities, including the auditory and
olfactory systems, for perception and behavior.
TitleNeural Mechanisms of Transcranial Current Stimulation
Investigator
Bart Krekelberg, Pierre- Olivier Polack
Institute
rutgers the state univ of nj newark
Fiscal Year
Funding Opportunities Number
Project Number
Project Summary
Transcranial current stimulation (TCS) creates small electrical fields in the brain through electrodes placed on
the scalp.