Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded the Regents of the University of Michigan a $532,314 Project Grant on May 4, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). This award will fund a five-year research initiative (through March 31, 2031) investigating how sleep pressure and circadian timing interact to impact hippocampal neuronal function and memory consolidation. The research will employ electrophysiological recordings from hippocampal neuronal populations in rodent models to characterize how extended wakefulness at different phases of the circadian cycle—including arousal enhancement through caffeine—affects sharp-wave ripple patterns associated with memory consolidation. The study will further employ optogenetic techniques to experimentally extend sharp-wave ripple duration and assess resulting impacts on hippocampus-dependent memory function.

The research addresses a critical gap in understanding why prolonged sleep loss produces enduring negative effects on memory despite the brain's general capacity for recovery during subsequent sleep. By examining the interaction between sleep homeostatic pressure and circadian biology on hippocampal reactivation and replay mechanisms, this NINDS-supported research contributes to fundamental neuroscience knowledge relevant to understanding cognitive and memory function across multiple neurological and psychiatric conditions. Research will be conducted at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus.