Tuesday, July 1, 2025 7/1/2025

The functional role of corticogeniculate feedback in vision

Award Number: R01EY025219
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2016
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

The functional role of corticogeniculate feedback in vision - Corticothalamic circuits linking the primary sensory cortex with the primary sensory thalamus in the feedback direction are ubiquitous across sensory modalities and mammalian species and are ideally positioned to regulate the flow of sensory signals from periphery to cortex. However, the functional role of these circuits in sensory perception remains a fundamental mystery in neuroscience. In the visual system, corticogeniculate neurons provide the majority of inputs onto neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), however receptive fields of LGN neurons closely resemble their retinal inputs and not their corticogeniculate inputs. Partly because corticogeniculate influence over LGN activity is modulatory rather than driving, the functional role of corticogeniculate feedback in vision has been difficult to characterize. The overarching goal of this proposal is to elucidate the structural organization of corticogeniculate feedback and its functional role in visual perceptual behavior. To accomplish this goal, intersecting and emerging technologies are employed including functional ultrasound imaging, neurophysiological recording, optogenetics, and chemogenetics in two highly visual mammalian species: ferrets and macaque monkeys. Building upon our previous findings that corticogeniculate feedback regulates the timing and precision of LGN responses to visual inputs, the three Specific Aims of this proposal address important new questions regarding the function and connectivity of corticogeniculate feedback. Specific Aim 1 will examine whether corticogeniculate feedback regulates the temporal dynamics of LGN neurons uniquely, depending on the type of visual feature information they convey. Specific Aim 2 will examine the spatial extent of corticogeniculate influence over LGN population activity using a combination of functional ultrasound and optogenetics. Aim 2 will also examine the precise functional connectivity between individual corticogeniculate and LGN neurons to determine whether corticogeniculate circuits exert stream-specific influence on individual LGN neurons. A major motivation behind Specific Aims 1 and 2 is to determine whether corticogeniculate feedback regulates visual information transmission through the LGN in a stream-specific manner or whether corticogeniculate influence is more global and diffuse. Specific Aim 3 represents a significant step forward in understanding corticogeniculate function by testing how corticogeniculate circuits contribute to visual discrimination behavior. We have developed a novel virus-mediated gene delivery strategy that enables selective manipulation of corticogeniculate circuits via optogenetics or chemogenetics, applicable to long-term behavioral experiments in ferrets. Together, results of the experiments proposed under each Aim will provide a fuller picture of the functional role of corticogeniculate feedback in visual perception by revealing the underlying connectivity and mechanisms giving rise to these functions. Importantly, insights gained about corticogeniculate circuit function could generalize across corticothalamic and corticocortical pathways throughout the sensory system and inform understanding of sensory circuit disruptions associated with many neurological disorders.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $462,138 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	001	10	2/14/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$462,138
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	9	12/5/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $462,138

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $449,093 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	9	2/5/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$449,093
														Subtotal = $449,093

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $466,206 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	8	3/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$466,206
														Subtotal = $466,206

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $436,616 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	001	7	2/23/2022	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$473,503
2022	2020	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	6	11/30/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$36,887
														Subtotal = $436,616

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $385,000 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	6	4/10/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,000
														Subtotal = $385,000

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $379,600 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	000	5	5/13/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$379,600
														Subtotal = $379,600

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $379,600 )
2018	2018	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	004	4	4/27/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$379,600
2018	2017	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	003	3	1/29/2018	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$23,555
2018	2017	TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	1 HINMAN DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	HANOVER	NH	03755	GRAFTON	USA	Vision Research	002	2	1/29/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$23,555
2018	2017	TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	1 HINMAN DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	HANOVER	NH	03755	GRAFTON	USA	Vision Research	000	2	10/30/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$272,693
2018	2017	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	500 JOSEPH C WILSON BLVD	ROCHESTER	NY	14627	MONROE	USA	Vision Research	001	3	10/30/2017	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$272,693
														Subtotal = $379,600

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $392,600 )
2017	2017	TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	1 HINMAN DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	HANOVER	NH	03755	GRAFTON	USA	Vision Research	000	2	4/20/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$353,340
2017	2017	TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	1 HINMAN DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	HANOVER	NH	03755	GRAFTON	USA	Vision Research	001	2	8/14/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$39,260
														Subtotal = $392,600

Issue Date FY: 2016 ( Subtotal = $343,000 )
2016	2016	DARTMOUTH COLLEGE	11 ROPE FERRY ROAD, #6210	HANOVER	NH	03755	GRAFTON	USA	Vision Research	000	1	4/18/2016	NEW	$343,000
														Subtotal = $343,000

Grand Total All Awards = $3,693,853

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

The functional role of corticogeniculate feedback in vision

Award Number: R01EY025219

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2016

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer