Tuesday, July 1, 2025 7/1/2025

Elucidating synaptic motifs in the visual thalamus

Award Number: R21EY035902
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Elucidating synaptic motifs in the visual thalamus - PROJECT SUMMARY The sensory thalamus serves as a hub for incoming information encoding different features of the outside world. This information is parsed and modified as it is transmitted to the cortex. In the visual thalamus (the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus), retinal ganglion cell axons converge onto proximal dendrites of thalamocortical neurons, forming clusters of boutons that stud the dendrites. Many of these bouton clusters are ensheathed by astrocytes along with synaptic terminals from neuromodulatory projections and inhibitory dendrodendritic presynaptic terminals. Collectively, this synaptic motif is called the glomerulus, described beautifully by electron microscopy in many thalamic nuclei and across many species. While the glomerulus is quite striking, the functional relevance of this structural motif is still debated. To address this critical question, here, we propose to establish and characterize mice in which the glomerular astrocytic sheath is disrupted by genetic deletion of a member of the family of fibroblast growth factor receptors. Our preliminary data shows that deletion of this receptor from astrocytes results in reduced astrocytic sheaths around clusters of retinal ganglion cell boutons and aberrant retinogeniculate functional refinement. We will extend these findings to elucidate the role of this receptor in the development of astrocytic morphology, glomerular structure and the elimination and strengthening of retinogeniculate synapses in the visual thalamus. We will also examine whether and how defects in astrocytic ensheathment of the glomerulus may contribute to aberrant retinogeniculate synapse refinement. Finally, we will take advantage of the disrupted glomerular ensheathment in mutant mice to test the hypothesis that the glomerular structure enhances crosstalk between synapses within the astrocytic sheath that is mediated by glutamate and GABA spillover. If these proposed experiments are successful, results from these studies will advance our understanding of how information is organized in the thalamus and the functional sequela of disruption of this organization.


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 = $265,500 )
2025	2025	CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CORPORATION, THE	300 LONGWOOD AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	000	2	11/21/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$265,500
														Subtotal = $265,500

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $221,250 )
2024	2024	CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CORPORATION, THE	300 LONGWOOD AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	000	1	11/17/2023	NEW	$221,250
														Subtotal = $221,250

Grand Total All Awards = $486,750

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Elucidating synaptic motifs in the visual thalamus

Award Number: R21EY035902

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer