# RP2: Connectivity and Circuit Organization

> **NIH NIH U19** · SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES · 2023 · $670,882

## Abstract

Project Summary: Project 2 – Connectivity and Circuit Organization
Neural circuits in the cervical spinal cord generate a range of rhythmic and dexterous motor behaviors that
are essential for life. These circuits, aside from being important in their own right, serve as a window into
how other brain areas are functionally organized by providing a critical readout of behavior, namely motor
action. The analyses in this project will use cutting-edge genetic tools and anatomical approaches, many of
which were developed at the Salk Institute, to create a scalable and interactive connectivity map of the pre-
motor interneuron circuits in the cervical spinal cord. This connectivity map will be registered to motor pools
innervating specific forelimb muscles in order for the connectivity datasets to be informative for the modeling
and interpretation of motor behaviors that are key components of this Team SCC initiative. Intersectional
mouse genetics will be used to target specific populations of spinal interneurons and annotate key
information about position, and connectivity, in order to generate a physical wiring diagram for forelimb pre-
motor circuits. The pre-motor wiring diagram will serve as a template for a subsequent more expansive
analysis of spinal connectivity that will include sensory, propriospinal, and descending connections to
forelimb pre-motor neurons. These studies, when completed, will provide unparalleled insights into the
organization of the spinal motor circuitry and the motor system as a whole. They will also lead to a better
understanding of the cellular interactions and neural computations that give rise to rhythmic and skilled
forelimb movements.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10696196
- **Project number:** 5U19NS112959-05
- **Recipient organization:** SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
- **Principal Investigator:** Martyn D Goulding
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $670,882
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10696196

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10696196, RP2: Connectivity and Circuit Organization (5U19NS112959-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10696196. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*