# Technical Advancement Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2021 · $267,995

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The Technical Advancement Core (TA-Core) has the overall goal of providing critical and appropriate expertise
to use new technologies within CSORDA Projects and Pilots, as well as to advance and optimize these
technologies for addiction-related research. The Core will also provide consultation (through Dr. Art Arnold)
regarding analysis of potential sex differences observed in the animal experiments. The primary areas of
technological contributions to the Center are in transcriptomics and bioinformatics (William Yang and
Giovanni Coppola) and in MRI imaging (Brigitte Kieffer), which is reflected by the majority of resource
allocation to these areas. The Core will additionally provide expertise and technical development for
miniaturized microscopes (Peyman Golshani), wireless optoprobe (Wendy Walwyn) and silicon
microprobe multi-recording devices (Sotiris Masmanidis). The Core Leaders, (Drs. Yang and Golshani) are
both productive researchers, highly collaborative and experienced in leadership of shared resources and will
have oversight of the administrative aspects and reporting of the core
The Transcriptomics and Bioinformatics component will provide expertise for Projects I and IV as well as
Pilot I and aid in characterization of mice for the AB-Core. The TA-Core leverages existing UCLA and NIH-
supported infrastructure at UCLA specifically developed to support neuroscience investigators with genetics,
genomics, sequencing, and bioinformatics experiments, therefore providing CSORDA faculty with a depth of
technical expertise.
The MRI imaging component will contribute to aims in Projects II and IV. This is an emerging technology to
determine high-resolution brain region connectivity with the potential to guide future CSORDA research to
areas connected with the circuitry investigated in current CSORDA Projects.
The Miniaturized Microscope component will be utilized in Project I and Pilot IV for calcium imaging and
striatum circuit analysis following opioid treatments. Development of the technology for addiction and
CSORDA-related research will focus on combining the miniaturized microscopes with drug delivery systems for
future experiments allowing direct analysis of neuronal networks by local drugs perfusion.
The Silicon Microprobe Multi-Recording Devices component will be utilized in Pilot III to assess modulation
of striatal network response to natural rewards during opioid withdrawal. Development of the technology will
employ optogenetics for cell-specific analysis and activity modulation of D1 and D2 Medium Spiny Neurons.
The Wireless Optoprobe component will be utilized in Projects I, III and IV. The core will improve the battery,
modify the design to include bilateral probes and alter the communication system to enhance range.
The TA-Core will be integral to current and future technical approaches utilized by CSORDA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10194427
- **Project number:** 5P50DA005010-35
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Xiangdong William Yang
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $267,995
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1987-09-30 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10194427

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10194427, Technical Advancement Core (5P50DA005010-35). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10194427. Licensed CC0.

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