# Electrophysiological Evaluation of Brain Regions Vulnerable to Alzheimers Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $328,885

## Abstract

Project Summary
The primary objective of the proposal is to identify the initial regions in the brain affected by Alzheimer's
disease (AD), focusing on the entorhinal cortex (EC) and locus coeruleus (LC). These areas are known to
accumulate tau pathology, leading to cognitive impairment. The researchers plan to use advanced techniques
to record the electrophysiological properties of EC and LC neurons in App knockin mice, aiming to understand
how pathology contributes to neuronal dysfunction, sleep disruption, and memory impairment. They also intend
to use new tools for visualizing gene expression in intact tissue using spatial transcriptomics, specifically 10X
Visium technology, to study transcriptomic changes in these vulnerable brain regions.
The proposal includes two specific aims: Aim 1 involves the transcriptomic analysis of the LC region in AD
mice, with the goal of understanding how tauopathy affects the electrophysiological properties of the LC and
downstream regions. The researchers expect to see changes in genes related to novelty response, arousal,
and sleep. Aim 2 focuses on the transcriptomic analysis of the MEC region in AD mice, aiming to understand
how amyloid beta and tau pathology change gene expression in the MEC. The researchers anticipate changes
in genes involved in maintaining memory processes. These aims will provide valuable transcriptomic profiling
of the two vulnerable brain regions, significantly benefiting the parent proposal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11057356
- **Project number:** 3R01AG064066-05S2
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** S. Abid Hussaini
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $328,885
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-04-15 → 2025-01-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11057356

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11057356, Electrophysiological Evaluation of Brain Regions Vulnerable to Alzheimers Disease (3R01AG064066-05S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11057356. Licensed CC0.

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