# Regulation of seizure timing by circadian rhythms and sleep

> **NIH NIH K08** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2024 · $1

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Candidate and Plan for Career Development: I am a clinical neurogeneticist with a background in molecular
neuroscience interested in the interactions between neurogenetic disease, circadian rhythms, and sleep. This
K08 proposal builds on my experience in pediatric genetic diseases, as well as my PhD using cellular and
mouse model systems, to build expertise in the fly model system. My Plan for Career Development is focused
on three needed training areas: 1) use of the fly model system and modern molecular biology techniques to
establish research independence; 2) further clinical expertise in genetics of circadian/sleep disorders; and 3)
development mentorship skills with an emphasis on promoting diversity in science and medicine. This K08
proposal will enable me to launch my own independent R01-funded research program studying the interaction
between genetic epilepsies, circadian rhythms, and sleep using cross-species approaches.
Environment and Mentorship: My training plan leverages the opportunities available at Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). CHOP and UPenn host a large neuroscience
community with state-of-the-art resources and facilities. UPenn is home to the Chronobiology and Sleep
Institute (CSI), one of the largest centers in the world dedicated to circadian rhythm and sleep research. The
Director of the CSI is my primary mentor, Amita Sehgal, PhD, an HHMI Investigator and international expert in
circadian rhythms and sleep using the fly model system. She has successfully mentored multiple physician
scientists who run independent R01-funded research programs. My co-mentor, Eric Marsh, MD, PhD, is a
successful neurogeneticist and epileptologist who will oversee my continued clinical development.
Research Proposal: The goal of this research proposal is to understand what regulates the timing of seizures.
Emerging data are demonstrating that seizure occurrence is not random; seizures actually occur in daily
cycles. What controls these cycles in seizure risk in people with epilepsy is unknown. Therefore, the goal of
this proposal is to use the gold standard for studying biological rhythms, the fruit fly, to identify novel
mechanisms that regulate seizure rhythmicity. A basic understanding of the cellular and circuit mechanisms
that control seizure timing may reveal novel pathways for therapeutic intervention and improve our ability to
predict seizures. The best appreciated cyclic endogenous biological cues that may be regulating daily seizure
timing are (1) circadian rhythms and (2) the sleep/wake state. Because the distinct cellular circuitry of circadian
rhythms and sleep/wake state are well characterized in flies, I will apply this knowledge to identify the
mechanisms that underlie time-of-day fluctuations in seizures. I will test if central clock neurons in the brain,
the master regulator of circadian rhythms, controls seizure risk (Aim 1), and/or if circuits invol...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10831103
- **Project number:** 5K08NS131602-02
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Vishnu Anand Cuddapah
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10831103

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10831103, Regulation of seizure timing by circadian rhythms and sleep (5K08NS131602-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10831103. Licensed CC0.

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