# The role of patterned spontaneous network activity in motor circuit activity

> **NIH NIH F32** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $9,609

## Abstract

The nervous system uses neural circuits to generate cognition and behavior. These circuits are often disrupted
in spinal cord injury or stroke, and are aberrant in mental disorders. One way to treat these conditions is to re-
grow or modify neural circuits. Thus, understanding how neural circuits are assembled may aid in the design
of regenerative therapies, and brain stimulation therapies to treat mental disorders. During circuit assembly,
nervous systems exhibit patterned spontaneous network activity (PaSNA). PaSNA is necessary to build a
functional circuit in vertebrates and invertebrates, yet we know surprisingly little about the mechanisms
involved. My strategy is to use Drosophila embryonic and larval locomotion as a system to uncover the
underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms by which PaSNA promotes neural circuit assembly. The advent
of new tools in Drosophila, such as optogenetic reagents, Gal4 lines to manipulate single neurons in the central
nervous system (CNS), and a transmission electron microscopy connectome of the entire CNS make this a
powerful system for studying neural circuits. Similar to vertebrates, premotor neurons are required for PaSNA.
This raises the questions that this proposal addresses: Which specific interneuron populations generate
PaSNA, do different interneurons have different patterns of activity, and how does interneuron PaSNA drive
motor circuit development? With the use of Gal4 lines unique to our system and genetically encoded calcium
indicators, I will identify the interneurons participating in PaSNA. I will use a characterized circuit required
for larval locomotion together with optogenetic tools to identify the effect of PaSNA in establishing circuit
connectivity and function. This proposal will reveal (1) the neuronal components that generate PaSNA during
locomotor circuit assembly, (2) whether PaSNA is stochastic or stereotypic with the population of active
neurons, (3) whether there is a correlation between neuronal identity and participation in PaSNA; (4) whether
PaSNA is required for locomotor circuit establishment, and (5) whether PaSNA is required for locomotor
circuit function. These represent critical advances that will provide insight into the formation and function of
neural circuits in both Drosophila and mammals, where PaSNA is a conserved element of neural circuit
formation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9921506
- **Project number:** 5F32NS105350-04
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Arnaldo Carreira-Rosario
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $9,609
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2020-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9921506

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9921506, The role of patterned spontaneous network activity in motor circuit activity (5F32NS105350-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9921506. Licensed CC0.

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