# Brain Mechanisms Underlying Changes in Neural Oscillations through Adolescent Cognitive Maturation

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $27,423

## Abstract

Project Summary
Adolescence is characterized by improvements in executive function, increased plasticity, and the continued
refinement of neuronal mechanisms. Importantly, it is also a time when neurobiological mechanisms are actively
specializing, where strays from neurotypical development may lead to the emergence of psychopathology. To
understand how atypical brain maturation may lead to neuropsychiatric disorders, typical adolescent
development needs to be better understood. Previous postmortem human and animal models have shown
developmental changes in the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance derived from changes in the excitatory glutamate
and inhibitory Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) neurotransmitters. Decreases in the E/I balance have been
shown to optimize neural systems supporting cognitive control through the stabilization of gamma oscillations,
generated by parvalbumin (PV) GABAergic interneurons and measurable through electroencephalography
(EEG). However, there is limited understanding of the developmental changes in the E/I balance and its impact
on the neuronal mechanisms characterizing this critical period of development. Thus, this project aims to
investigate the shift in the E/I balance, as implicated by developmental changes in the balance of
glutamate and GABA, to characterize the neuronal underpinnings of neurotypical adolescent cognitive
development. To accomplish this, we will 1) assess developmental changes in neural activity underlying working
memory and its association with glutamate and GABA using multimodal neuroimaging techniques, including
electroencephalography (EEG), 7T Magnetic Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) (Aim 1), and
stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) (Aim 2), and 2) use computational modeling to identify the micro-level
neuronal underpinnings of adolescent brain development (Aim 3). During this process, the candidate will gain
invaluable knowledge in technical methodologies, such as data collection, analysis, computational modeling,
clinical neuroscience, and written and oral communication. This study will advance our understanding of
neurotypical adolescent development, which is a critical step towards assessing impaired development that can
lead to psychopathology, which predominantly emerges in adolescence (e.g., psychosis, mood disorders,
substance use disorders). Altogether, this project will support the ability of the candidate to become an expert
bioengineering-psychiatry researcher, integrating engineering principles and developmental cognitive
neuroscience that can inform the mental health field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10850547
- **Project number:** 5F31MH132246-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Shane McKeon
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $27,423
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2024-09-01

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10850547

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10850547, Brain Mechanisms Underlying Changes in Neural Oscillations through Adolescent Cognitive Maturation (5F31MH132246-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10850547. Licensed CC0.

---

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