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POm and its role in striatal circuitry modulation

Award Number: F31NS117093
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/08/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/07/2023

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POm and its role in striatal circuitry modulation - Project Summary/Abstract Learned behaviors require the processing and transformation of sensory stimuli into motor actions, a process known as sensorimotor integration. Disruption of sensorimotor integration in key brain areas, such as the striatum, is implicated in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, and dystonia. The striatum receives widespread inputs from numerous cortical and thalamic areas and recent published data from the Margolis lab demonstrate that primary motor cortex (M1) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) have distinct striatal innervation patterns and opposing influence on behavioral performance in mice. However, the functional striatal innervation patterns and behavioral roles of most other inputs are unknown. One such input comes from the posterior medial nucleus (POm) of the thalamus, which has direct synaptic connections with S1, M1 and dorsolateral striatum. My proposal, using a combination of in vivo and ex vivo approaches, pursues the hypothesis that POm may function as an important “gain modulator” by enhancing the signal-to-noise of whisker-related sensory information in the striatum before sensory information arrives from other cortical and subcortical areas. A Go/NoGo whisker-based decision- making task with optogenetic manipulation (both gain-of-function and loss-of-function) in behaving mice will be employed in Specific Aim 1. This paradigm will assess the effects of bidirectional optogenetic manipulation of POm terminals in the striatum on behavioral responding. The Go/NoGo task is combined with in vivo fiber photometry in Specific Aim 2. This paradigm will determine the natural dynamics of thalamostriatal signaling across the learning of this sensory-guided task. Specific Aim 3 will use ex vivo whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology with optogenetic stimulation to assess if POm preferentially innervates any of three striatal neuron subtypes. This combined approach will define the circuit mechanisms of POm-striatal signaling in sensory-guided behavior, which may have implications for understanding circuit dysfunction in movement disorders. The proposed fellowship will provide the trainee with a solid foundation for a career as an independent systems neuroscientist. The training environment incorporates a robust education, ample professional development opportunities, and multiple faculty-student mentorships in domains vital to the project including electrophysiology, behavior, optogenetics, and fiber photometry. Overall, this NRSA fellowship has significant potential to elucidate the neural circuitry of sensorimotor integration and provide essential training for me to become a valuable member of the systems neuroscience community.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$68 )
2024	2023	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY	3 RUTGERS PLZ	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	8/22/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$68
														Subtotal = -$68

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $36,770 )
2023	2023	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	2/10/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,543
2023	2023	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	12/23/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$35,227
														Subtotal = $36,770

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $40,352 )
2022	2022	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	11/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$39,636
2022	2022	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	002	2	6/2/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$1
2022	2022	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	2	4/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$717
														Subtotal = $40,352

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $39,120 )
2020	2020	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	9/18/2020	NEW	$39,120
2020	2020	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY	3 RUTGERS PLZA	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	1	9/18/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $39,120

Grand Total All Awards = $116,174

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POm and its role in striatal circuitry modulation

Award Number: F31NS117093

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/08/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/07/2023

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