Wednesday, October 1, 2025 10/1/2025

Dissecting the role of aggrecan and perineuronal nets in visual plasticity

Award Number: R01EY035138
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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Dissecting the role of aggrecan and perineuronal nets in visual plasticity - Summary Critical periods are time windows during development when experience-dependent plasticity is most robust. The developing visual system in the premier model for studying how circuits modified by experience-dependent plasticity are consolidated when a critical period closes. This model is clinically relevant because the closure of the visual critical period is implicated in the pathophysiology of amblyopia, a childhood visual disorder characterized by deficits in spatial vision including poor visual acuity and impaired depth perception. Effective therapy is more difficult after the critical period closes because the brain is less plastic. In animal models of amblyopia, monocular deprivation (MD) causes lasting deficits in ocular dominance (OD), binocular depth perception, and visual acuity. The closure of the critical period is coincident with the maturation of perineuronal nets in visual cortex, but how these extracellular structures may limit plasticity is not understood. In the proposed research, we will determine the role and cellular source of aggrecan, a principal component of perineuronal nets, in closing the developmental critical period for plasticity in visual circuits. Our hypothesis is that aggrecan operates outside of perineuronal nets to close the critical period. We will use a combination of behavioral assays of vision, multi-unit electrophysiology, calcium imaging in vivo, and slice electrophysiology in vitro, and genetic manipulations to determine how aggrecan regulates the plasticity of visual circuits. This project will improve understanding of the mechanisms by which experience-dependent plasticity is restricted in the maturing brain and may reveal new avenues for developing therapeutic approaches to treat developmental visual disorders such as amblyopia and central visual impairment.


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 = $547,339 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA	845 N PARK AVE RM 538	TUCSON	AZ	85721	PIMA	USA	Vision Research	001	3	8/26/2025	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$547,339
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Vision Research	000	2	8/26/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $547,339

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $461,687 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Vision Research	000	2	6/21/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$461,687
														Subtotal = $461,687

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $482,553 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Vision Research	000	1	8/24/2023	NEW	$482,553
														Subtotal = $482,553

Grand Total All Awards = $1,491,579

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Dissecting the role of aggrecan and perineuronal nets in visual plasticity

Award Number: R01EY035138

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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