Award
NIH Reporter #5I01BX006105-03
The role of electrical synapses in neural dynamics involved in sleep/wake and sensory perception
Recipient
VA BOSTON HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Awarded
August 17, 2026
Identifier
5I01BX006105-03
This award funds research on the role of connexin 36 electrical synapses in the thalamic reticular nucleus and their impact on cortical oscillations related to sleep, wakefulness, and sensory perception, using advanced gene editing techniques.
Description
The project investigates the brain-region-specific role of the neuronal gap-junction protein, connexin 36 (Cx36), in regulating sleep-wake behavioral state- and stimulus-specific cortical oscillations. It focuses on the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and its electrical synapses containing Cx36, using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to knockdown Cx36 in parvalbumin positive neurons of the TRN to study effects on cortical oscillatory activity and sensory processing.