Summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology received a $127,224 Project Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), awarded August 1, 2026, with completion scheduled for July 31, 2028. The grant funds basic neuroscience research investigating the role of a non-classical amygdala-striatal neural pathway in the selection of instrumental actions, with particular emphasis on understanding how the basolateral amygdala (BLA) communicates with different striatal regions to regulate sensory-driven decision-making. The research addresses a significant gap in understanding neural mechanisms implicated in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and substance use disorders.

The funded project delivers two primary research products: (1) molecular and circuit-mapping analyses using single-cell RNA sequencing and monosynaptic rabies tracing to characterize the functional heterogeneity and wiring principles governing BLA-striatal connectivity, and (2) causal mechanistic studies employing targeted recombination in active populations (TRAP) methodology and optogenetic circuit mapping to establish how choice-encoding neural ensembles in the BLA bias action selection through selective innervation of direct and indirect pathways in the striatum. These investigational findings are intended to elucidate fundamental neurobiology underlying perceptual decision-making processes relevant to mental health disorders.