# "Disruption of neuronal circuitry and the memory engram in young adult mice following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury:

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2020 · $193,104

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Cognitive and behavioral outcomes following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are difficult to
predict during the neonatal period. Previous work has established that MRI and neurologic exam in the neonatal
period are poor prognostic tools for behavioral and cognitive deficits. Deficits in working and spatial memory
exist in young adult mice that were exposed to neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. Examining a well-established
neonatal mouse model of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury using novel methods, our preliminary data has found that
a subset of young adult mice exhibit interictal spikes and chronic abnormal neuronal activation in the
hippocampal-parahippocampal circuit. The concept of a memory engram involves this circuit and that a specific
memory is encoded is stored in a specific population of neurons. Therefore, we propose that the memory engram
is disrupted by interictal spikes and chronically abnormal neuronal activity in the hippocampal-parahippocampal
circuit related to neonatal HIE. First, we will characterize electrographic abnormalities and neuronal activity in
the hippocampal circuitry in young adult mice following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia using neuronal activation
mapping in lipid cleared transgenic mouse brains and high quality electrographic recordings. We will investigate
the link between electrographic abnormalities, abnormal neuronal activity in hippocampal circuitry and disruption
of the memory engram in this model.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9892038
- **Project number:** 5K08NS101122-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Christine Burnsed
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $193,104
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9892038

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9892038, "Disruption of neuronal circuitry and the memory engram in young adult mice following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury: (5K08NS101122-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9892038. Licensed CC0.

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