Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded the University of Pennsylvania $203,125 on March 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) to support a two-year research project through February 29, 2028. This R21 exploratory research grant funds an investigation into the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the interaction between chronic pain and sleep disruption, specifically examining how dysregulation of the centrolateral thalamus to anterior cingulate cortex (CL-ACC) pathway contributes to sleep fragmentation and heightened pain sensitivity in chronic pain patients.

The research deliverables include electrophysiological characterization of neural activity patterns, direct empirical evidence of chronic pain-induced disruption of the CL-ACC pathway, and innovative therapeutic insights on circuit modulation strategies. The interdisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Gregory Corder, Dr. Franz Weber, and Dr. Raquel Adaia Sandoval Ortega, will employ advanced neuroscience techniques including in vivo calcium imaging, closed-loop optogenetics, and deep-learning behavior tracking to assess how intervention on this neural circuit can simultaneously alleviate both pain and sleep disturbances. These research findings are intended to advance fundamental understanding of neurological mechanisms and inform potential therapeutic approaches for the approximately 90% of chronic pain patients who experience concurrent sleep disruption.