# The Role of Mesencephalic Circuits in Migraine

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $75,127

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This is an application for the Mentored Clinician Scientist Career Development Award (K08) for Dr. Maggie
Waung, a Clinical Instructor in Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Waung is
establishing herself as a young investigator in the translational field of headache disorders. This proposal
describes a 5-year training program (coursework, conferences, national presentations, clinical development,
and mentored research) geared towards the development of an academic career focused on studying the
mechanisms of chronic headache, with a particular focus on migraine. This award will provide the core support
necessary to acquire further expertise in advanced neuroscience methods and develop the leadership skills
required to successfully run an independent laboratory. To achieve these goals, Dr. Waung has outlined a
detailed plan and assembled a mentoring team composed of experts in the field of pain, addiction, and
complex neural circuits.
The Candidate:
Dr. Waung is a neurologist and neuroscientist who graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program at
the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, where she excelled in both her medical and graduate
school studies. She was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honors society and received the
American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology. Her graduate work
uncovered a novel mechanism underlying persistent postsynaptic changes in a unique form of hippocampal
synaptic plasticity. This led to a first-author publication in a major neuroscience journal, Neuron. She continued
on to complete neurology residency training at UCSF, where she served as chief resident. In her proposed
training plan, Dr. Waung will apply her understanding of neuronal plasticity and learn new methods of circuit
analysis in order to build a solid scientific program towards the study of headache.
Mentorship Environment and Formal Instruction:
Dr. Waung's proposal draws on the resources and expertise of the Fields lab in conjunction with the
mentorship of Drs. Elyssa Margolis and Allan Basbaum. Dr. Howard Fields is a Professor of Neurology and
Director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction. He has made seminal contributions to the
understanding of neuropathic pain and the role of endogenous opioids in these circuits, not to mention his
tremendous track record in mentoring successful neuroscientists, many who have gone on to pursue academic
careers in research. Dr. Allan Basbaum is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy at UCSF, who
has devoted his career to understanding the neurobiological basis of pain. Dr. Waung's advisory committee
also includes an expert in midbrain opioid signaling (Elyssa Margolis) and Dr. Frederic (Woody) Hopf, who has
pioneered the use of optogenetics in novel addiction paradigms.
In addition to a remarkable group of mentors, Dr. Waung will participate in formal workshops aroun...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9882509
- **Project number:** 5K08NS097632-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Maggie W Waung
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $75,127
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-03-01 → 2020-07-01

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9882509

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9882509, The Role of Mesencephalic Circuits in Migraine (5K08NS097632-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9882509. Licensed CC0.

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