Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Chicago received a $603,293 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, 2030. This award funds fundamental neuroscience research investigating afferent proprioceptive signaling in Drosophila larvae, with the objective of characterizing differences between projection and local proprioceptive neural pathways. The research employs two major technical innovations—CRASH2P microscopy for volumetric imaging of neural dynamics in freely moving larvae and connectomics for comprehensive reconstruction of synaptic connections—to test the central hypothesis that local and projection second-order proprioceptive neurons differentially integrate and process naturally occurring self-movement stimuli.

The deliverables under this award consist of peer-reviewed scientific research outputs that advance fundamental understanding of how the brain and local motor circuits receive and process proprioceptive information during natural animal behavior. The project will generate new knowledge regarding whether the brain receives minimally processed proprioceptive stimulus information or integrated representations of specific stimulus features, whether information is presented in a behaviorally state-dependent manner, and how information differs between brain-directed and local circuit pathways. These research findings will contribute to the NINDS mission of reducing the burden of neurological disease by establishing foundational knowledge about neural circuit function relevant to proprioceptive deficits that impair movement and postural control.