# Defining circuit mechanisms for the regulation of somatosensory feedback

> **NIH NS R01** · SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES · 2026 · $738,566

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Sensory feedback is critical for reporting the state of the body and how it interacts with the world. Yet the
incessant transmission of all sensory stimuli that impinge upon the body would be debilitating. Rather, sensory
signals must be regulated dynamically to attenuate the disruptive and facilitate the salient. The dorsal column
nuclei complex, located in the brainstem, represents the major conduit of somatosensory information from the
periphery to supraspinal targets. The cuneate nucleus receives and processes sensory signals from the upper
body, conveying the resulting information to the sensorimotor cortex via projections to the thalamus, including
tactile signals from the hand that are especially critical for the effective execution of dexterous behaviors. The
recent identification of a ‘shell’ of local inhibitory neurons in the brainstem that can modulate the transmission of
tactile signals in the cuneate points to circuit mechanisms that might be used to dynamically regulate
somatosensory feedback at its first synapse in the brain. Selective manipulation of these inhibitory circuits can
suppress or enhance the transmission of tactile information, affecting dexterous behaviors. Moreover, these
circuits are subject to top-down control by descending cortical pathways, suggesting that higher-order
sensorimotor regions regulate the sensory signals they receive. Yet several key questions remain unaddressed.
Do these same mechanisms for regulating tactile feedback from the hand apply to cutaneous signals more
generally, and do they generalize to other somatosensory modalities like proprioception? How do these
brainstem circuits and their descending inputs function in behaving animals that require dynamic and
bidirectional adjustment of sensory transmission? Based on preliminary evidence, the central hypotheses of this
proposal are that: a) similar regulatory mechanisms exist in parallel for somatosensory signals generated across
the body; and b) di

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11309180
- **Project number:** 5R01NS136228-02
- **Recipient organization:** SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
- **Principal Investigator:** EIMAN  AZIM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NS
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $738,566
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2025-04-01T00:00:00 → 2030-03-31T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11309180

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11309180, Defining circuit mechanisms for the regulation of somatosensory feedback (5R01NS136228-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11309180. Licensed CC0.

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