# Circuit Analysis and Modulation

> **NIH NIH P50** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $205,325

## Abstract

Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) manifest as dysfunction in neural circuits. Thus, understanding
and ultimately treating IDDs requires directly and precisely interfacing with neural circuits in animal models and
the human brain. The goal of the Circuit Analysis & Modulation (CAM) Core is to provide a set of techniques
and approaches for BCM IDDRC investigators, and the broader scientific community, which provide a path from
hypothesis to pre-clinical readiness regarding neural circuit dysfunction in IDDs. The CAM Core is comprised of
three sub-cores. The Tool Generation & Characterization sub-core will develop neurotropic viruses tailored to
the particular needs of IDDRC neural circuit studies, and provide assistance applying the tools to their
experiments. We will focus on lenti- and adeno-associated viral vectors that are engineered to drive gene
expression in desired cell types. In particular, constructed viruses will allow investigators to target mainstay and
emerging powerful optogenetic proteins to individual neurons, neuronal subsets, or desired lineages to suit their
experimental design. These viral vectors afford the spatial and temporal flexibility of stereotaxic targeting, and
provide a time- and cost-efficient alternative to transgenic mouse design. These tools provide valuable
information about neuronal firing properties or patterns of connectivity, or provide a means to synthetically
perturb function, facilitating study of normal circuit function or disease. The Circuit Assessment sub-core will
provide assessment of sensory and neuromodulatory systems in mice and humans, both of which feature
prominently in many IDDs. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustics startle is at the intersection of sensory and
neuromodulatory functions, and PPI deficits are observed in many IDDs. We offer use of our novel human ‘brain
state and cognition’ testing suite, which uses pupillometry to extract multiple indicators of neuromodulatory
function in sensory recognition and sensorimotor gating, as well as an analogous high-throughput mouse system
to IDDRC members. We also offer sophisticated attention tasks that tap into broader circuits, and two-photon
imaging of circuit function in the PPI and attention tasks. The Circuit Modulation sub-core will perform in vivo
neural recordings and targeted brain stimulation for IDDRC investigators. Combining optogenetic and
chemogenetic methods with neurophysiological recordings allows testing circuit mechanisms with ground truth
electrical readouts. In addition, targeted chronic deep brain stimulation has been increasingly applied to function-
specific neuronal assemblies or pathways in preclinical studies of various neurological diseases, including IDDs.
Thus we will provide assistance, design, and service towards testing targeted electrophysiological recordings or
stimulation of nervous tissue in rodent models of IDD. In sum, the CAM core as a whole will provide powerful
viral tools, electrical ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10085946
- **Project number:** 1P50HD103555-01
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin R Arenkiel
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $205,325
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10085946

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10085946, Circuit Analysis and Modulation (1P50HD103555-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10085946. Licensed CC0.

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