Project Grant R21NS136962

This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, provides $423,500.00 to investigate cerebellar nuclei dysfunction in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1). The research aims to determine how the cerebellar nuclei function is altered throughout SCA1 progression, how mutant ataxin-1 impacts the cerebellar nuclei, and how changes in the cerebellar nuclei contribute to SCA1-like motor deficits. The award was made to the Regents of the University of Minnesota, a prominent land-grant research institution, with a performance period from September 20, 2024 to August 31, 2026. The goal is to expand the understanding of SCA1 as a cerebellar circuit dysfunction disease, which could stimulate future studies into interactions of the cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei in other ataxias.