# Intrinsic Functional Architecture of Dentate Nuclei in Autism Spectrum Disorder

> **NIH NIH R03** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $107,089

## Abstract

Summary/Abstract
Functional neuroanatomy in human dentate nucleus (DN) remains largely unmapped. Functional magnetic
resonance imaging research has redefined broad categories of functional division in the human brain showing
that primary processing, attentional “task positive” processing, and default-mode “task negative” processing
are three central poles of neural macro-scale specialization. This new macro-scale understanding of the range
and poles of brain function has revealed that not only cerebral cortex, but also thalamus, striatum, and
cerebellar cortex contribute to the full spectrum of human neural organization. Whether functional
specialization in DN obeys a similar set of macroscale divisions, and whether DN is yet another compartment
of full-spectrum representation of human brain function remains unknown. This proposal aims to explore
functional territories in human DN. Preliminary results using data-driven gradient-based clustering analysis
reveal three functional zones as indexed by high spatio-temporal resolution resting-state MRI, and that these
three distinct territories contribute uniquely to default-mode, salience-motor, and visual brain networks. Our
goal is to replicate the results in an independent larger sample to provide a systems neuroscience substrate for
cerebellar output to influence all broad categories of neural control – namely default-mode, attentional, and
multiple unimodal streams of information processing including motor and visual. The overarching aim of this
proposal is to apply these functional territories towards clinical translation, specifically in the context of Autism
Spectrum Disorder.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11018235
- **Project number:** 7R03MH121879-03
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Sheeba Anteraper
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $107,089
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2024-02-01 → 2024-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11018235

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11018235, Intrinsic Functional Architecture of Dentate Nuclei in Autism Spectrum Disorder (7R03MH121879-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11018235. Licensed CC0.

---

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