Federal Grant Award Summary

The California Institute of Technology received a $1.85M Project Grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded April 1, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2029. This research project investigates state-dependent modulation of salt taste perception and ingestion, with focus on how central neural circuits dynamically alter salt taste preferences in response to physiological sodium balance states. The research will characterize prostaglandin E2 signaling pathways in the lamina terminalis brain region and determine how inflammation-like signals reconfigure salt taste perception to increase salt tolerance and drive salt-seeking behavior during sodium-deficient conditions, utilizing advanced techniques including genetically encoded prostaglandin E2 sensors and in vivo calcium imaging.

The project addresses a significant public health challenge by identifying mechanisms that regulate salt intake and taste perception, with implications for understanding and potentially managing excessive salt consumption that contributes to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and renal dysfunction. Through its investigation of how the brain centrally modulates salt taste pathways to align behavioral responses with homeostatic needs, this research will advance fundamental understanding of taste perception modulation and may inform future strategies to regulate salt intake at the physiological level.