Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Washington received a $503,525 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) for the period May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The research project, titled "Direction-Specific Processing in the Cerebellar Oculomotor Vermis During Saccades," will deliver fundamental neuroscience research aimed at understanding how the cerebellum processes motor signals to regulate precise eye movements. The research will generate empirical findings regarding the dynamic transformation of sensory and motor inputs within the cerebellar cortex, specifically examining how Purkinje cells integrate mossy fiber projections from brainstem premotor neurons to produce simple spike activity that fine-tunes saccadic motor commands.

The primary research outputs will include characterization of direction-dependent processing mechanisms in the oculomotor vermis through optogenetic manipulation and electrophysiological recording in awake, behaving animals. The project will advance understanding of how the cerebellum coordinates bilateral mossy fiber input from the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis and paramedian pontine reticular formation to regulate saccade velocity and deceleration. These research products—including data, analyses, and mechanistic insights into cerebellar oculomotor control—will contribute to the broader Vision Research program's mission of advancing scientific knowledge of the visual system and eye-brain interactions.