Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a $585,999 Project Grant to Pennsylvania State University, doing business as Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, effective June 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853). This research grant supports investigation into the principles underlying cerebellothalamocortical communication—the pathway connecting the cerebellum to the thalamus and cortex that mediates numerous brain functions ranging from movement to social motivation. The funded research will employ in vitro and in vivo experimental methods, including dynamic clamp electrophysiology, whole-cell recordings, multisite single-unit recordings, CRISPR-mediated genetic manipulation, and pharmacological interventions to elucidate how thalamic burst and tonic firing modes regulate cerebellar inputs to the brain.

The research deliverables will advance understanding of how the thalamus controls cerebellar communication under both normal and pathophysiological conditions, with particular emphasis on tremor, a cerebellar dysfunction with established neurobiological origins in the cerebellothalamocortical pathway. By characterizing the dynamic regulation of this critical neural circuit, the project aims to generate mechanistic insights and identify therapeutic targets that could inform strategies to normalize pathological activity and alleviate cerebellar dysfunction, contributing to the NINDS mission of reducing the burden of neurological disease.