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An experimental platform to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making

Award Number: R21MH124383
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/05/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2023

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An experimental platform to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making - Project Summary Our ability to flexibly select, based on context, the relevant information to form decisions is a fundamental cognitive process, yet its underlying neural mechanisms are still largely unknown. Most of our knowledge at single-neuron resolution is derived from a few recent studies in macaque monkeys, where animals were trained to perform tasks requiring context-dependent selection and integration of sensory information. In these tasks, feature selection is performed within a sensory modality, and the strength of the evidence can be precisely titrated by the experimenter. Despite the groundbreaking impact of these studies, so far only a handful of brain areas have been studied, and no perturbation experiments have yet been performed. To address these issues, we will train rats to perform context-dependent selection and integration of sensory information, and we will leverage the powerful experimental tools available in rodents to dissect the neural circuits responsible for this behavior. First, we will develop a new pulse-based task requiring context-dependent selection and integration of sensory evidence. In our task, rats will be presented with a train of randomly-timed auditory pulses, where each pulse varies in its location (right or left) and its tone frequency (high or low). In separate blocks of trials, rats will be cued to report either the prevalent location of the pulses, or their prevalent frequency. Because in this task information will be presented to subjects in highly random but precisely known pulses, over the course of hundreds of thousands of trials we will have access to a highly varied sample of stimuli allowing us to fully characterize temporal dynamics of the processes involved. Second, we will develop an automated, high- throughput training pipeline to efficiently train rats to perform the task. Third, we will develop a complementary automated high-throughput setup for the collection of electrophysiology and optogenetics data during behavior. Fourth, we will develop a series of novel modeling and statistical analyses to leverage this rich dataset to probe the underlying computational mechanisms. The proposed approach aims to provide an unprecedented platform to probe the neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	5/21/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $243,000 )
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	6/21/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$24,300
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	12/14/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$218,700
														Subtotal = $243,000

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $202,500 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, THE	1 NASSAU HALL	PRINCETON	NJ	08544	MERCER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	3/5/2021	NEW	$202,500
														Subtotal = $202,500

Grand Total All Awards = $445,500

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An experimental platform to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making

Award Number: R21MH124383

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/05/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2023

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