Project Grant K99NS149250

Federal Project Grant Summary

The University of California, San Francisco received a $117,747 Project Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), awarded July 7, 2026, with completion targeted for June 30, 2028. This grant supports basic neuroscience research investigating the functional roles of basal ganglia and cerebellar inputs to the motor thalamus in controlling gait and determining whether alterations in this circuit drive parkinsonian gait disturbances. The project addresses a significant clinical gap by examining how the motor thalamus integrates inputs from two major brain systems and regulates walking coordination through motor cortex connections—mechanisms implicated in gait disorders associated with Parkinson's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia.

The research deliverables include quantitative kinematic and neurophysiological analyses using advanced experimental techniques including high-speed video gait analysis with machine learning-assisted tracking in freely walking mice, optogenetic identification and recording of single-unit thalamic neuron activity, and chemogenetic and optogenetic circuit perturbation studies. These technical approaches are designed to characterize gait-tuning properties of basal ganglia- and cerebellar-recipient thalamic neurons and establish causal relationships between motor thalamus circuit dysfunction and parkinsonian gait pathology, thereby advancing fundamental understanding of motor circuit organization relevant to treating neurological gait disorders.