# Development of midbrain circuitry

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2020 · $483,487

## Abstract

Animals integrate multisensory cues and produce motor outputs resulting in essential
behaviors such as predator avoidance or orienting to a stimulus. The optic tectum, and
its mammalian homolog, the superior colliculus, serve as an interface for adaptive
sensorimotor processing across vertebrate species. The mechanisms regulating the
development and plasticity of the midbrain circuitry underlying these essential functions
are not well understood. We propose to investigate visual experience-dependent
structural and functional plasticity of the development of midbrain circuitry in Xenopus
tadpoles and to evaluate circuit function using a visual avoidance assay. We will use in
vivo imaging, electrophysiology and behavior to identify and evaluate circuit components
and their plasticity in response to visual experience. The proposed research should fill
this gap in our knowledge and reveal the role of early sensory experience in the
development of highly conserved midbrain circuitry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849771
- **Project number:** 5R01EY027437-03
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** HOLLIS T. CLINE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $483,487
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849771

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849771, Development of midbrain circuitry (5R01EY027437-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849771. Licensed CC0.

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