The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a $2,075,564 Project Grant under the Aging Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.866) to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Health Sciences Division. The grant, effective September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2027, supports research to investigate the role of neuronal hyperexcitability and proteostasis (protein homeostasis) in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research will utilize a mouse model of AD pathology to examine how modifications in brain activity, particularly in the locus coeruleus and hippocampus, can lead to the development and spread of AD. Key objectives include identifying the earliest electrophysiological changes that occur as beta-amyloid and tau proteins start accumulating, assessing hyperarousal and excitation, and determining how proteostasis deficits contribute to neuronal dysfunction and memory loss. The findings could provide mechanistic insights into the key neural network changes in AD and inform the development of predictive computational models for disease risk assessment.
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