# Integrating Experimental and Computational Models to Study the Prefrontal Microcircuit Changes During Aging and Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING · 2024 · $174,242

## Abstract

The overarching goal of this proposal is to determine and predict microcircuit changes in
the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during healthy aging and disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease
(AD), by integrating empirical in vivo calcium imaging recording, computational simulation
modeling, and calcium imaging-based neural decoding.
 Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have suggested disruptions among
different brain regions in AD patients. However, PFC microcircuit changes during normal aging
and AD initiation and propagation, and how these changes relate to cognitive dysfunctions in
AD are poorly understood.
 We will take a multidisciplinary approach capitalizing on our team’s expertise in
miniscope in vivo calcium imaging, simulation modeling and graph theory-based network
analysis, and neural decoding. Real-time calcium imaging from awake behaving animals makes
it possible to directly visualize the PFC microcircuit changes during aging and dementia.
Simulation modeling helps to tease out the primary degeneration and secondary compensatory
effects on a microcircuit. Calcium imaging-based neural decoding is a powerful multivariate
approach that integrates empirical and computational microcircuit data to understand normal
aging and AD pathogenesis processes. Together, we will perform empirical and computational
studies simultaneously to determine the impacts of normal aging and various AD related
pathologies on the PFC microcircuit. We believe that our strategies will revolutionize our
understanding of aging and AD disease progression, and help developing new effective
treatments for AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10933862
- **Project number:** 1R21AG087909-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
- **Principal Investigator:** RONG CHEN
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $174,242
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10933862

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10933862, Integrating Experimental and Computational Models to Study the Prefrontal Microcircuit Changes During Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (1R21AG087909-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10933862. Licensed CC0.

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