Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded the University of Pittsburgh $437,250 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) for a two-year exploratory research project spanning April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. This R21 project delivers neuroscience research services investigating parvalbumin interneuron (PVI) diversity and neuroplasticity in primary visual and prefrontal cortical areas. The research employs patch-seq methodology to integrate single-cell RNA sequencing, electrophysiology measurements, and morphological analysis to characterize PVI subtypes and their responses to social isolation, with direct relevance to understanding transcriptomic alterations implicated in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, and major depression.

The project produces research outputs through two integrated research aims. Aim 1 establishes baseline transcriptomic signatures of PVI subtypes in mouse prefrontal cortex and visual cortex under standard conditions, defining transcriptional markers that distinguish electrophysiologically distinct neuron subtypes. Aim 2 determines how social isolation alters PVI subtypes across these brain regions by assessing changes in gene expression, excitability, and cellular morphology. By correlating transcriptional changes with cellular phenotypes in the same individual neurons, the research delivers mechanistic insights into region-specific PVI vulnerability to psychiatric disease-relevant manipulations, contributing to the broader scientific understanding of mental illness etiology and potential intervention targets.