Seed Grants catalyze collaborations between researchers from across the university for innovative, collaborative research projects in the neurosciences.
Funded Seed Grant projects
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Seed Grant
2021
Elucidating the biophysical mechanisms of latrophilin activation in excitatory synapse formation
The results of this highly interdisciplinary project will test the innovative hypothesis that molecular-scale mechanical signals sculpt synapse formation and will shed light on how latrophilin signaling regulates synaptogenesis in the context of both neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric disease.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Seed Grant
2015
Brain mechanisms of spatial reasoning in mathematics
We aim to understand how brain mechanisms of spatial reasoning are brought into play during symbolic mathematical cognition and to identify individual differences in these mechanisms that co-vary with mathematical ability and mathematical experience.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Seed Grant
2017
TrkA-ing the chronic pain
A faculty team bridging chemistry and pain research will use optogenetics to understand an important signaling pathway involved in chronic pain.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Seed Grant
2019
Sensory processing in a pre-seizure state
This team will leverage the power of silicon probes to record from hundreds of neurons in mouse epilepsy models to understand neural correlates of the pre-seizure EEG. These results will be used to optimize a real-time seizure prediction algorithm that will be tested in human patients.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Seed Grant
2021
Rapid brain-wide optogenetic screening with a noninvasive, dynamically programmable in vivo light source
We aim to develop a noninvasive method to produce on-demand and dynamically programmable light emission patterns throughout the entire brain of live mice. The emission patterns can be controlled by brain-penetrant focused ultrasound and switched with millisecond precision for rapid brain-wide optogenetic screening of different brain regions.