Federal Grant Award Summary

New York University received a $710,563 Project Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), awarded on March 5, 2026, with a completion date of November 30, 2030. The award supports fundamental neuroscience research investigating the neural circuit mechanisms underlying dynamic learning rates in reinforcement learning. The research will determine how orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) projections to the ventral striatum regulate the rate of error-driven learning at both behavioral and neural levels, utilizing a novel behavioral paradigm in rats combined with optogenetics and electrophysiology techniques.

The project will employ high-throughput behavioral training to generate multiple trained subjects for parallel experimentation, accelerating research progress. Specifically, the research will: (1) use optogenetics and electrophysiology to record from and manipulate OFC neurons projecting to the ventral striatum to determine if this projection pathway dictates behavioral learning rates, and (2) relate behavioral learning rates and activation of OFC projection neurons to trial-by-trial changes in evoked neural spiking. These deliverables address a critical gap in understanding dopamine-independent mechanisms that modulate learning rate flexibility in volatile environments, with potential implications for understanding maladaptive learning in psychiatric conditions.