Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded Columbia University's Health Sciences Division a Project Grant totaling $126,900 under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program. The award, dated May 1, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2028, funds a K99 Phase research project investigating the synaptic and molecular mechanisms of cell-type-specific memory computation in the hippocampal CA3 region. The research deliverables include advanced in vivo multi-photon imaging studies measuring compartment-specific synaptic dynamics at individual dendritic spines during learning, direct measurements of synaptic weights to inform recurrent neural network computational models, volumetric calcium imaging to assess input-driven population coding, transcriptomic analysis, and genetic perturbation experiments linking synaptic architecture and gene expression to memory encoding and retrieval processes.

The project integrates multi-scale neuroscience methodologies to bridge fundamental gaps in understanding how heterogeneous neural circuits implement memory functions. Research outputs will include empirically-derived integration rules and computational models describing how input- and subtype-specific synaptic plasticity mechanisms scale across cellular and network levels in the CA3 circuit, contributing to basic neuroscience knowledge of brain function and potentially informing therapeutic approaches to memory-related neurological disorders.