Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $670,194 Project Grant to Harvard College's Office For Sponsored Programs on June 24, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). The research will be conducted in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is scheduled for completion by March 31, 2031. This award funds neuroscience research focused on mapping the connectomic architecture of brain microcircuits underlying parental caregiving behavior, specifically examining how synaptic inputs onto POAGAL/CALCR neurons in the hypothalamic preoptic area are organized and remodeled across physiological and developmental states.

The project deliverables include generation of high-resolution synaptic architecture maps using volumetric correlated light and electron microscopy (VCLEM), genetic electron microscopy labeling, connectomics mapping, and machine learning-based morphological analysis. The research will produce complete synaptic input maps integrated with functional data and computational modeling to determine how synaptic changes modulate neuron activity across developmental transitions. Key research aims include defining synaptic input architecture in virgin females and comparing synaptic inputs from serotonergic and cholinergic neurons across different physiological states, with findings expected to advance understanding of circuit-level mechanisms underlying behavioral flexibility in parenting.