This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the Vision Research (CFDA 93.867) program, provides $500,500 to support research on the role of retinal ganglion cells in shaping the identity and function of neurons in the superior colliculus visual processing region.
The key objectives are to: 1) determine how retinal input influences the morphology and transcriptional profiles of genetically-defined neuron populations in the mouse superior colliculus, and 2) leverage a mouse model with segregated projections of specific retinal ganglion cell subtypes to assess how this impacts the visual tuning properties, morphology, and transcriptomes of superior colliculus neurons. This research aims to significantly advance the understanding of how neuronal diversity arises in the developing visual system, which is critical for informing strategies to restore vision after injury or disease. The award period runs from September 30, 2023 to August 31, 2025.