Funded Projects

This team is developing a small molecule that targets a voltage-gated ion channel within the inner ear for the symptomatic relief of peripheral vertigo attacks. They will use their Neuroscience:Translate award to further develop this molecule to restore normal function and improve activities of daily living for patients experiencing peripheral vertigo.

This study will introduce a vascular-like electronic system that merges seamlessly with neural organoids, establishing an integrated vascular-electronic-neural network. This envisaged platform holds the promise of heralding a transformative phase in the evolution of human neural organoid research and elucidating the fundamental understanding on the roles of oxygen and nutrient perfusion during neural development.

This proposal addresses three interconnected, yet independent aims focused on the neural mechanisms implicated in age-associated miscarriages. First, the proposal aims to construct a comprehensive neuro-uterine atlas delineating neuronal subtypes innervating the uterus, elucidating how innervation patterns and transcriptome profiles evolve with age. Second, the proposal aims to implement cutting-edge tissue clearing techniques on extracted uteri to discern alterations in uterine innervation patterns and signaling across the rodent estrous cycle and the first trimester of pregnancy.

This team has identified a promising protein-based therapeutic to improve stroke recovery.  The team will use the Neuroscience:Translate award to identify key components of this protein to maximize its therapeutic potential for stroke treatments.

This team recently identified a selective biomarker of inflammation-promoting immune cells in the central nervous system. They will use their Neuroscience:Translate award to develop non-invasive molecular imaging strategies to distinguish between harmful (pro-inflammatory) and helpful (anti-inflammatory) immune cells in patients with Multiple sclerosis (MS).

This team has developed a new therapy for patients with spinal cord injury, involving injection into the spinal cord of patient-derived stem cells within an engineered protective gel. They will use their Neuroscience:Translate award to further test and develop this novel therapy in preparation for first-in-human clinical trials. 

This team recently discovered that a small molecule they had originally developed to treat Parkinson’s disease can also reduce the volume of glioblastoma tumors – the most common form of aggressive brain tumor — by targeting the mitochondrial protein Miro1. They will use their Neuroscience:Translate award to study the mechanisms of the compound’s anti-tumor action and prepare to apply for investigational-new-drug status to move this discovery toward the clinic.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and there is a tremendous need for improved therapeutic strategies to treat this prevalent neurodegenerative disease. A devastating symptom of AD is progressive memory loss; this particular disease feature has proven difficult to treat. However, research has begun to unravel novel drivers of AD, including the important role the body’s immune system plays in promoting memory loss. 

Maintaining the health and function of the aging brain is crucial to improving the quality of older people’s lives and reducing societal burden. Aging is often accompanied by a decline in memory for life events (episodic memory), especially in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Yet some at-risk individual’s manage to maintain memory function, which raises important questions about the brain mechanisms that underly memory resilience.

The ability of an infant to distinguish caregivers from strangers is fundamental for survival early in life. Across many taxa, newborns use olfactory cues to recognize caregivers. Caregiver odors induce proximity-seeking behavior and alleviate stress in neonatal mammals, including humans. Since all altricial animals rely on parental care for survival and children with developmental disorders (e.g., fragile X syndrome and autism) often have deficits in the olfactory system, it is essential to understand the mechanisms for linking caregiver odors with affiliative behavior.

Studying the brain circuits involved in aggression will help us tackle big social issues like hate crimes, antisocial behavior, and violence. Imagine if we could better understand why some people act aggressively towards others—we could use this knowledge to protect people from harm and create a world where everyone feels safe. Chemicals in our brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, affect neural activity to modulate behavior. When we experience something rewarding, like having good food or meeting friends, dopamine is released in the brain.

Brain development is a complex process where cells must self-renew and differentiate at the right place and right time. Gene regulation during development involves sequences in the genome which affect the expression of genes locally, and transcription factors, proteins that bind these sequences and activate genes throughout the genome. At active regulatory sequences and genes, DNA is accessible to these proteins, while inactive DNA is tightly compacted.

The immune system is subjected to neuroendocrine regulation and control by the brain. One such example is the induction of glucocorticoid (GC) in infectious diseases. GC is synthesized and released by the adrenal glands via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis which is initiated from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN).

Intraparenchymal transplantation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) shows therapeutic potential for patients with chronic ischemic stroke. However, the underlying mechanisms of how hNSCs drive recovery remain elusive.

There are over 6000 rare diseases which together affect millions of Americans. Many ultra-rare diseases are ‘orphan’ diseases, without any viable treatment strategies, one of these being human RhoBTB2 variants associated with severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE64).

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) carry a poor prognosis with limited therapeutic options. This is in part due to the highly invasive behavior of malignant glioma cells, which infiltrate into normal brain parenchyma where they are inaccessible to surgical intervention and are poised to drive tumor recurrences.

Over half of pediatric stroke survivors develop cognitive impairment, limiting their educational attainment and imposing significant financial and emotional burdens on survivors and their families. However, children’s chronic cognitive symptoms are poorly explained by stroke size or location.

In epilepsy, a disease affecting 1% of all children, brain networks undergo maladaptive change (plasticity) and become predisposed to seizures. In the 30-40% of children with epilepsy who have medication-resistant seizures, the seizures become more frequent and severe over time, with concurrent loss of cognitive ability.

This project is focused on developing EEG-based measures of cognitive control and conflict processing in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is characterized by recurrent, intrusive, and distressing thoughts, and patients are often limited by rigid, inflexible behavioral routines as well as poor clinical insight into their illness.

This team aims to understand differences in language processing between bilingual and monolingual speakers and how these differences contribute to neuroplasticity. Their Koret project will use EEG to discover how semantic predictions are formed and whether knowledge of multiple languages influences these predictions.

Commonly used measures of interoception—the brain’s perception of the body’s internal state—only subjectively capture the body’s interpretation of hunger and satiety signaling. The Coleman Lab is developing objective, noninvasive, electrophysiologic approaches to assess human hunger and satiety signaling and how external senses modulate this signaling.