# Integrative labeling, imaging, and reconstruction tools for high-throughput inhibitory microconnectivity analysis in the mouse brain

> **NIH NIH RF1** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $3,144,081

## Abstract

Abstract
Neural circuits composed of interconnected neurons with distinct properties lay the physical foundation
of any brain function. Identifying connections between individual neurons is central to understand how
information is processed and propagated in the brain. While emerging high throughput light microscopy
technologies are highly promising in allowing whole brain scale imaging at the single cell level, optical
resolution limitation prevents their use in differentiating densely labeled neuronal processes in the same
brain. In addition, computational tools for automatically extracting morphological information from
intermingled neurons with high accuracy are still lacking. Our team will concurrently develop novel genetic
tools for neuronal labeling, super-resolution imaging, and automated neuronal tracing for high-throughput
circuit reconstruction. We will apply these tools to obtain densely reconstructed inhibitory microcircuits in
the mouse cortex. These tools will be readily applicable for studying other long-standing questions in
neuroscience and the resources generated by this project will be useful for future computational tool
development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10025817
- **Project number:** 1RF1MH123402-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Dawen Cai
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $3,144,081
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-20 → 2024-08-19

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10025817

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10025817, Integrative labeling, imaging, and reconstruction tools for high-throughput inhibitory microconnectivity analysis in the mouse brain (1RF1MH123402-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10025817. Licensed CC0.

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