Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York a Project Grant of $126,900 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) for research extending from April 2, 2026, through March 31, 2028. This award funds basic neuroscience research investigating the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying value representation in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region essential for translating sensory cues into behavioral responses guided by reward and punishment.

The research will deliver mechanistic insights into how distinct neuronal populations encoding rewarded versus unrewarded stimuli interact within local circuits to enable both stable learning and behavioral flexibility. Using high-density electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, and olfactory-based appetitive classical conditioning tasks, the investigator will test hypotheses regarding mutually inhibitory circuit mechanisms and the role of unrewarded stimulus representations in maintaining prior learning while permitting behavioral extinction. Products from this research will include peer-reviewed publications, computational and electrophysiological datasets, and fundamental understanding of synaptic plasticity mechanisms underlying adaptive reward-seeking behavior—knowledge applicable to understanding how the brain balances learning stability with cognitive flexibility in mental health and decision-making contexts.