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A Novel Approach to Crack Neuronal Mechanisms that Shape Computations in the Brain

Award Number: DP2NS132108
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/19/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2025

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A Novel Approach to Crack Neuronal Mechanisms that Shape Computations in the Brain - Project Summary Living in this ever-changing environment, we continually adapt and learn new behaviors. The computation mechanisms in our brain must be highly plastic to support such flexibility. Problems with this adaptive process, on the other hand, result in inflexible and maladaptive behaviors, the main symptoms of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and other brain disorders. The goal of this proposal is to establish an experimental method to approach what neuronal substrates and mechanisms support our flexible behavior. Neuronal computations are mediated by coordinated activity patterns across neurons, referred to as neuronal dynamics. When we learn/adapt behavior, underlying neuronal dynamics change. This reconfiguration of neuronal dynamics is constrained by synaptic interactions among neurons. Thus, changes in synaptic interactions, or synaptic plasticity, likely mediate the shaping of neuronal dynamics and behavior. Therefore, neuronal dynamics and synaptic plasticity are two pillars of brain functions that cooperate to flexibly adapt behaviors. Yet, dynamics and plasticity have rarely been studied together due to the lack of appropriate behavioral paradigms and experimental methods to examine them. To bridge this gap, I have established a novel behavioral paradigm along with a proposal for a molecular screening method to identify the brain areas where synaptic plasticity is responsible for adapting actions. Electrophysiological recordings at such brain areas combined with manipulation of plasticity will allow us to crack a causal relationship between plasticity and neuronal dynamics: we will identify what kinds of changes in neuronal dynamics are induced by synaptic plasticity and how those changes result in improved behavior. By combining molecular, systems, and theoretical neuroscience methods, our experimental approach will link plasticity, dynamics, and behavior to explain the algorithmic basis of flexible computations in the brain. Identifying neural substrates controlling flexible behaviors provides a foundation for examining how dysfunctions of such substrates result in maladaptive behaviors observed in various brain disorders. Our novel approach to combine electrophysiology with manipulations of plasticity has the potential to become a new standard in neuroscience; and, linking neuronal dynamics and plasticity may inspire novel methods in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Thus, our findings and unconventional approach will have a broad impact in neuroscience and beyond.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2022	MAX PLANCK FLORIDA CORP	1 MAX PLANCK WAY	JUPITER	FL	33458	PALM BEACH	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	4/15/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $1,158,000 )
2025	2025	MAX PLANCK FLORIDA CORP	1 MAX PLANCK WAY	JUPITER	FL	33458	PALM BEACH	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	5/28/2025	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$1,158,000
														Subtotal = $1,158,000

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $1,737,000 )
2022	2022	MAX PLANCK FLORIDA CORPORATION	ONE MAX PLANCK WAY	JUPITER	FL	33458	PALM BEACH	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	9/19/2022	NEW	$1,737,000
														Subtotal = $1,737,000

Grand Total All Awards = $2,895,000

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A Novel Approach to Crack Neuronal Mechanisms that Shape Computations in the Brain

Award Number: DP2NS132108

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/19/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2025

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