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Neural Circuits for Context-Dependent Control of Vocal Communication

Award Number: R01MH136887
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2029

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Neural Circuits for Context-Dependent Control of Vocal Communication - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Vocal communication is essential for human social relationships, and deficits in vocal communication that characterize autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have devastating impacts on the affected individuals and on society. Despite the importance of vocalization to social behavior, the brain circuits that allow animals to vocalize appropriately according to behavioral context remain poorly understood. This proposal seeks to apply powerful intersectional tools in the mouse to (1) identify and characterize forebrain-to-midbrain circuits that underlie the context-dependent control of social vocalizations and (2) to understand the midbrain circuits that underlie the production of distinct acoustic categories of vocalization. Prior work has shown that midbrain- projecting neurons of the preoptic hypothalamus regulate courtship vocalizations in male mice. Aside from these neurons, the forebrain inputs to the midbrain that regulate social vocalizations, and whether the relevant inputs differ according to social context, remains unknown. Aim 1 will combine in vivo calcium imaging, neuronal silencing, and mapping of axonal projections to test the hypothesis that midbrain-projecting preoptic neurons regulate social vocalizations produced during affiliative female-female interactions. In Aim 2, retrograde tracing from the midbrain will be combined with Fos mapping and light sheet imaging of optically cleared brains to identify novel populations of midbrain-projecting forebrain neurons that are active during and may regulate vocal communication during courtship, during female-female interactions, or in both contexts. In Aim 3, activity-dependent labeling in the midbrain will be combined with neuronal ablation and retrograde tracing from hindbrain vocal premotor neurons to test the hypothesis that distinct sets of midbrain neurons control the production of different acoustic categories of vocalization. This work will delineate brain circuits that underlie the context-dependent control of vocalization in the mammalian brain, and more broadly, that link the encoding of social information to the flexible and appropriate execution of social behaviors. By identifying core mechanisms of healthy vocal communication, this work will provide a foundation to understand neural circuit alterations the contribute to vocal communication differences in mouse models of ASD and other neurodevelopmental 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 = $400,211 )
2025	2025	CORNELL UNIVERSITY	341 PINE TREE RD	ITHACA	NY	14850	TOMPKINS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	1/8/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$340,179
2025	2025	CORNELL UNIVERSITY	341 PINE TREE RD	ITHACA	NY	14850	TOMPKINS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	9/18/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$60,032
														Subtotal = $400,211

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $399,215 )
2024	2024	CORNELL UNIVERSITY	341 PINE TREE RD	ITHACA	NY	14850	TOMPKINS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	3/22/2024	NEW	$359,293
2024	2024	CORNELL UNIVERSITY	341 PINE TREE RD	ITHACA	NY	14850	TOMPKINS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	1	6/13/2024	NEW	$39,922
														Subtotal = $399,215

Grand Total All Awards = $799,426

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Neural Circuits for Context-Dependent Control of Vocal Communication

Award Number: R01MH136887

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2029

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