Federal Grant Award Summary

Purdue University received a $583,633 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), effective June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2031. The award funds preclinical research investigating region-specific effects of pathology and vocal training on vocalization deficits in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding voice and communication impairments that occur early in Parkinson's disease but remain poorly understood at the mechanistic level and unresponsive to current treatments targeting the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system.

The project will utilize a preclinical mouse model enabling region-specific induction of pathology within discrete areas of the nigrostriatal and cranial sensorimotor systems to determine which vocalization deficits result from pathology in each system and how vocal training modulates these deficits. Deliverables will include fundamental mechanistic insights into the neurophysiological pathways underlying early voice and communication deficits in Parkinson's disease, with results intended to inform development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for treating these debilitating symptoms that significantly impact patient quality of life, social function, and caregiver burden.