Archives: Grants

Joseph G. Makin, Ph.D., Purdue University

Decoding Speech from Electrocorticography

Losing the ability to speak can be devastating. Sometimes, though, people lose this ability without losing the ability to plan the proper mouth movements for speaking.

Ashleigh E. Schaffer, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University

Epistasis Screening for Neuronal Mechanisms of Secretory Protein Trafficking

Protein trafficking is the cellular process by which proteins are transported from their site of synthesis to where they are functionally required. How this is accomplished, and whether there are differences in this process between cell types is unclear.

Sharon A. Swanger, Ph.D., Virginia Tech

Targeting Intrinsic versus Synaptic Mechanisms in the Epileptic Brain

Pediatric epileptic encephalopathies are debilitating disorders that begin with severe and frequent seizures in infancy or early childhood. These diseases progress to complex syndromes involving not only recurring seizures but also disrupted movement, sensation, cognition, and emotional processin...

Zinzhu Yu, Ph.D., University of Illinois

Astrocyte Contributions to Cortical Synaptic Plasticity

The brain processes and stores information by dynamically changing the structure and function of synaptic connections between individual neurons. This synaptic plasticity allows us to acquire new information, learn challenging skills and recover from brain injury and disease.

Christian R. Burgess, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Dopaminergic Contributions to Dexterous Skill in Cortex and Striatum

Coordinated multi-joint limb and digit movements – “manual dexterity” – underlie both specialized skills (e.g., playing the piano) and more mundane tasks (e.g., tying shoelaces). Impairments in dexterous skill cause significant disability, as occurs with motor cortical inj...

Natalia V. De Marco Garcia, Ph.D., Cornell University

A Circuit Mechanism for the Development of Cortico-cortical Connectivity

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect 1 in 59 children in the US. Despite the high prevalence and the debilitating nature of these conditions, we have only a vague picture of what causes autism and therefore very few effective diagnostic tools or therapies have been developed.

Laura A. DeNardo, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Defining the Role of Early Life Experience in mPFC Circuit Assembly

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in complex cognitive and emotional functions including decision making, mood and social behaviors. mPFC undergoes a uniquely protracted maturation which is likely essential to produce these complex behaviors, but also opens a prolonged win...

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