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PLASTICITY OF CORTICAL ENSEMBLE CONNECTIVITY IN VISUAL LEARNING

Award Number: F32EY031932
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/15/2024

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PLASTICITY OF CORTICAL ENSEMBLE CONNECTIVITY IN VISUAL LEARNING - Vision is a critical sensory modality that we depend on to navigate through the world and understand our surroundings. Disorders of the visual system lead to severe interpersonal deficits and to economic immiseration. Although much progress has been made describing the cellular basis of visual perception, little is known about the connectivity of brain circuits that process visual information, and even less is known about how this connectivity changes over time. I propose to leverage cutting-edge robotic and optical technologies to clarify how neuronal ensembles (coactive groups of cells) are connected in the primary visual cortex (V1), the neocortical region where visual perception arises. Ensembles in V1 exhibit activity patterns with reproducible spatial and temporal structures which define the functional vocabulary of cortical microcircuits. It has been recently shown that the activation of ensembles is necessary and sufficient for visual perception. The Hebbian hypothesis suggests that neurons that are repeatedly coactive over time (ensembles) are likely to be more strongly synaptically connected to one another than to neurons outside of the ensemble. I will develop a high-throughput tool to test this Hebbian hypothesis of preferential synaptic connectivity within ensembles using robotic electrophysiology and holographic optogenetic stimulation (Aim 1). I will then describe the functional and structural changes of cortical microcircuits during visual learning using chronic two-photon calcium imaging of neurons in the mouse visual cortex, in relation to the Hebbian hypothesis of synaptic plasticity and learning (Aim 2). Successful completion the current project will establish a structural link between ensemble activity and the activity of the brain during visual learning, yielding inroads towards a more complete understanding of visual processing, a prerequisite to addressing the dearth of effective treatment options for blindness.


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: 2023 ( Subtotal = $73,772 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Vision Research	000	3	8/18/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$73,772
														Subtotal = $73,772

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $69,802 )
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Vision Research	001	2	8/30/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$69,802
2022	2021	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Vision Research	000	1	8/4/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $69,802

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $66,390 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	116TH AND BDWY	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Vision Research	000	1	9/13/2021	NEW	$66,390
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	116TH AND BDWY	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Vision Research	001	1	9/13/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $66,390

Grand Total All Awards = $209,964

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PLASTICITY OF CORTICAL ENSEMBLE CONNECTIVITY IN VISUAL LEARNING

Award Number: F32EY031932

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/15/2024

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