Project Grant R01MH141429

Federal Grant Award Summary

The Scripps Research Institute received a $878,601 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), effective April 1, 2026, with completion targeted for December 31, 2030. This collaborative research program delivers advanced neuroscience research services focused on understanding how neural circuits in the mammalian brain reorganize to encode new memories. The project combines three-dimensional electron microscopy (3D-EM) analysis at nanometer resolution with chemogenetic labeling techniques and artificial intelligence-based computational tools to reconstruct neuronal connectomes, individual synapses, and glial structures. Through these integrated methodologies, the research identifies morphological signatures of long-term memory formation in the mouse hippocampus, with particular emphasis on multisynaptic boutons and their role in structural plasticity of neural ensembles during memory storage processes.

The research services extend beyond traditional descriptive neuroscience to produce novel insights into how memory-encoding neural circuits modify their synaptic configurations, weights, and membrane organelles in response to cognitive tasks involving negative valence stimuli. By applying cutting-edge imaging reconstruction techniques alongside contemporary computational analysis methods, the project generates detailed structural data about neural circuit reorganization mechanisms that challenge existing Hebbian learning models. These scientific deliverables directly support the National Institute of Mental Health's mission to advance understanding of brain function and inform future prevention and treatment approaches for mental health conditions.