Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded The Ohio State University a Project Grant totaling $630,925 on May 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). The five-year award, with completion scheduled for April 30, 2031, funds research investigating circadian clock physiology in cortico-limbic brain circuits and its relationship to complex behavioral states including mood, memory, and executive function. The research addresses fundamental gaps in understanding how ancillary clock oscillators outside the suprachiasmatic nucleus function at both cellular and systems levels, employing innovative methodologies including transgenic mouse models, adeno-associated virus-based genetic interrogation, longitudinal cellular profiling, and advanced cellular imaging techniques.

The project produces fundamental neuroscience research that advances understanding of clock gene transcriptional feedback loops and their mechanistic underpinnings in forebrain circuits. By determining how disruptions in cortico-limbic clock physiology contribute to neurological and psychiatric disorders, the research supports NINDS's mission to reduce the burden of neurological disease through exploration of brain and nervous system structure and function. Research findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and may inform future therapeutic approaches targeting circadian dysfunction in acquired and congenital nervous system disorders.