The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging awarded the University of Wyoming a $4,510,756 project grant under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to investigate the impact of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) loss on prefrontal neural activity and circuitry. The three-year award beginning September 2022 will support research using mouse models, human pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons, and patient brain tissues to determine how TDP-43 loss leads to aberrant neural activity in the prefrontal cortex, which may be relevant for TDP-43 linked Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Specifically, the university will perform repetitive in vivo calcium imaging of mouse prefrontal cortex neurons to monitor activity changes from the same pyramidal neurons when TDP-43 is depleted in excitatory, inhibitory, or mixed neuron populations. The award also includes a $TBD subaward to The Johns Hopkins University to support the shared goal of clarifying early pathogenic mechanisms and identifying novel therapeutic targets for these neurodegenerative disorders.
Generated 1/6/24, 10:52 AM