Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded $595,208 to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco on June 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). This Project Grant funds a collaborative research initiative investigating striatal synaptic plasticity mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD). The research will employ optimized cognitive assays in parkinsonian mouse models, in vivo imaging, and electrophysiology techniques to elucidate the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms driving executive dysfunction and impulse control disorder—cognitive symptoms that are inadequately addressed by current dopamine replacement therapies. The project will deliver fundamental scientific knowledge through three integrated research aims examining the roles of dynorphin neuropeptides, prefrontal cortex-striatum neural circuits, and dysregulated neuronal ensemble activity patterns in PD-related cognitive impairment.

The research outputs from this four-year award (through March 31, 2031) will inform the development of targeted therapeutic interventions to alleviate cognitive-behavioral dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and associated impulse control disorders. As a Project Grant supporting basic and translational neuroscience research, this award contributes to NINDS's mission of reducing the burden of neurological disease through investigation of fundamental brain and nervous system function, with anticipated deliverables including peer-reviewed publications, characterization of disease pathophysiology, and mechanistic insights applicable to future treatment development.