# Combing resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging with chemogenetic modulation to characterize connectivity of the Salience Network

> **NIH NIH R36** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2022 · $43,683

## Abstract

Project Summary
 We are constantly confronted with numerous stimuli that compete for limited neural
resources. A salient cue is one that is important and noticeable. The Salience Network (SN), a
set of brain regions that are consistently co-activated across different conditions and at rest, is
involved in the detection of attention-commanding external and internal stimuli for properly
allocating cognitive resources. Importantly, abnormal activity in the SN is implicated in various
psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and major depressive
disorders. The main nodes of the SN are the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), the Anterior
Insular Cortex (AIC), the ventral striatum, ventral tegmental area, dorsomedial thalamus and the
amygdala. These regions are anatomically and functionally connected. The experiments
described in this proposal will delineate how the anatomical and functional connectivity these
brain regions allow them to operate as a network.
 This proposal combines chemogenetic circuit-based manipulations with resting state
functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), which measures the changes in
hemodynamic signals in the brain. The goal of Specific Aim 1) Characterize the effects of
chemogenetic ligands on resting state functional connectivity prior to viral expression of
designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). Because chemogenetic
ligands can bind to non-DREADD receptors, this type of characterization is essential before
proceeding with DREADD manipulations. In Specific Aim 2, I will combine DREADDs activation
with rs-fMRI to target the ACC to probe the relationship between rs-functional connectivity and
direct anatomical connections of the Salience Network.
 Understanding the relationship between the anatomy and the functional activity of the
Salience Network will have implications for neuroimaging studies that have identified specific
abnormalities in the Salience Network. Furthermore, these studies could detail generalizable
rules for the biological relationship between anatomical and functional connectivity across the
brain, which will have implications for understanding healthy and disordered brain functioning
with the potential for developing novel treatments.
 This award will allow me to gain important skills in my PhD research. I will learn complex
techniques, learn to design experiments, perform statistical analyses, write scientific
manuscripts, and practice oral presentations of these studies. All of these will help prepare me
for an academic faculty position.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10464079
- **Project number:** 1R36MH130105-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Adriana kelly-Ann Cushnie
- **Activity code:** R36 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $43,683
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-05 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10464079

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10464079, Combing resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging with chemogenetic modulation to characterize connectivity of the Salience Network (1R36MH130105-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10464079. Licensed CC0.

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