The development of functionally coactive modular cortical networks

The National Eye Institute (part of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health) awarded $147,676 to Max Planck Florida Corp, doing business as Max Planck Florida Institute For Neuroscience, on July 1, 2026, under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867).

The award funds research into the development of functionally coactive modular cortical networks in the visual system. The project investigates how spontaneous neural co-activation organizes sensory circuits before visual experience, using chronic imaging studies in developing tree shrews as a model system. The work addresses three aims: determining how spatiotemporal properties of spontaneous activity instruct the emergence and arrangement of modular network patterns in primary visual cortex (V1); testing whether decorrelated retinal and thalamic inputs underlie modular network formation using deep multiphoton imaging and laminar recordings; and investigating whether early V1 activity influences functional connectivity in downstream visual areas.

The recipient, a non-profit research institution and child entity of the Germany-based Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, is located in Jupiter, Florida. The period of performance runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

Abstract

A key feature of developing sensory circuits is the spontaneous CO-activation of neurons, which organizes networks and maps in preparation for future sensory experiences. While much is known about how sensory experiences refine these early networks, there is a significant GAP in understanding the experience- independent cellular mechanisms that drive the initial organization of these functional networks. This research project addresses the critical question of how sensory representations of the external world are formed during early neural development. The mature visual cortex in primates, carnivores, and tree shrews is organized into modules of similarly responding neurons, providing a model to study the development of functional network organization. Even before eye-opening, modular networks are evident in spontaneous activity patterns resembling future visually-evoked responses, though the origin and timing of these patterns are not well understood. Using chronic imaging studies in developing tree shrews, an important model that allows US to probe the circuit mechanisms responsible for initial network organization, this study aims to investigate the period before sensory experience when spontaneous activity transforms from unstructured patterns into a highly organized modular arrangement. The project consists of three aims: (1) determine how specific spatiotemporal properties of spontaneous activity, such as cortical wave directionality and frequency, instruct the emergence and arrangement of modular network patterns in V1. (2) test whether decorrelated on and off inputs from the retina and thalamus underlie the formation of modular networks and axial biases in cortical activity, using deep multiphoton imaging and laminar recordings to examine feedforward and recurrent circuit contributions. (3) investigate whether early activity in V1 influences functional connectivity in downstream cortical areas such as V2, and how this activity-dependent coupling guides topographic organization across cortical regions. Under the primary mentorship of DR. David fitzpatrick, a world-renowned authority on vision development and an expert in imaging techniques, and a mentoring team with various expertise specific to the aims defined above, the candidate will become proficient in several techniques, including advanced imaging, developmental neurophysiology, and computational neuroscience. Throughout the project period, the mentor, collaborators, and consultants will work together to guide research progress and ensure the investigator's successful transition to an independent research position. During the R00 phase and beyond, studies will evolve to examine how spontaneous activity coordinates interareal circuit formation, laying the groundwork for understanding systems-level integration during sensory development and identifying mechanisms by which early cortical activity shapes large-scale network architecture implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders.