Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Characterizing Multimodal Processing With Whole-Brain Approaches in Drosophila

Award Number: K99NS142349
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/21/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Characterizing Multimodal Processing With Whole-Brain Approaches in Drosophila - PROJECT SUMMARY Many of the tasks we perform every day, such as driving a car to work or having a conversation while on a stroll, require us to integrate information from multiple senses to drive behavior. Understanding the neural basis of such multimodal integration is a longstanding question in neuroscience. Studies in humans have shown that impairment of one sensory modality reduces performance on many tasks, and abnormal sensorimotor processing is associated with several neurological conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and sensory processing disorders. While multimodal responses have been studied in the sensory or motor periphery in several model systems, we currently lack a comprehensive understanding of how multimodal computations are performed in the brain. Recent work across organisms has shown that stimuli and locomotion are often encoded in a distributed manner, suggesting that a whole-brain approach may be necessary to build such an understanding. Here, I propose to address this gap, using Drosophila courtship as a model and employing whole- brain functional imaging in behaving animals, together with connectome-constrained computational models, to understand how multimodal signals (audio and visual) are jointly represented in the brain in different behavioral contexts and to identify circuit mechanisms underlying multimodal integration. The proposed research will employ a wide array of modern approaches in neuroscience, including whole-brain functional imaging, connectomics, behavior quantification, genetic manipulations, and computational modeling. This work will advance our understanding of how information from multiple modalities is represented in the brain of the fly, and will uncover general principles of multimodal processing applicable to more complex brains. Additionally, this award will support my transition to an independent research career—establishing a systems neuroscience laboratory at a research university.


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 = $132,813 )
2026	2026	THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	4/27/2026	NEW	$132,813
														Subtotal = $132,813

Grand Total All Awards = $132,813

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Characterizing Multimodal Processing With Whole-Brain Approaches in Drosophila

Award Number: K99NS142349

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/21/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer