# Determining the role of cortical acetylcholine in fast waking state transitions

> **NIH NIH F31** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $46,036

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The brain naturally transitions between a variety of states throughout the day, and these brain states affect the
way information is processed. Within the state of wakefulness there are subtle, transient substates which
fluctuate on a seconds-long timescale and are accompanied by rapid changes in sensory processing. By gaining
a better understanding of the mechanism behind these spontaneous fast waking state transitions, we may be
able to explain more of the variability in the brain’s performance under different circumstances, and gain more
detailed insight into how different modes of information processing are being produced. Neuromodulators such
as acetylcholine (ACh) are well-known to play a role in driving the neural patterns which define distinct brain
states. However, due to limitations in methodology, it has yet to be determined whether ACh is involved in the
fast shifts in state seen within wakefulness. Now that recent technological advances allow these limitations to be
overcome, we aim to test the hypothesis that cortical ACh is indeed involved in these fast shifts in waking states.
The goal of this project is to determine when and where ACh is available to act in the cortex in relation to
behavioral and neural signatures of state, and investigate how these patterns of availability change in a disease
state. Specifically, this project aims to determine the spatial scale at which spontaneous cortical ACh activity is
homogeneous, the temporal scale of ACh availability in relation to activity of the basal forebrain, how patterns of
spontaneously fluctuating cortical ACh availability relate to neural features of brain state, and how the
relationship between ACh and behavioral features is altered in a disease state. Answering these questions will
help to inform us how different brain states arise and lead to variability in information processing, as well as fill
in knowledge gaps regarding the dynamics of neuromodulator availability in general.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10233933
- **Project number:** 1F31NS122428-01
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIN NEYHART
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,036
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-08 → 2024-03-07

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10233933

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10233933, Determining the role of cortical acetylcholine in fast waking state transitions (1F31NS122428-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10233933. Licensed CC0.

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