Enhancing PALM with new stats, cloud, parallel computing, and imaging standards
Official title: Enhancing PALM with novel statistical methods, cloud integration, parallelization, and imaging standards
Funded at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · NIH-11401700 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new NIH-funded project will improve a popular brain-imaging analysis tool to handle massive public datasets and faster, more reliable statistics for brain research.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Edinburg, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $451,425 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH139547-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401700 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; this grant supports software and statistical methods used in brain research, which can ultimately benefit patients through faster, more reliable findings.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals will not be enrolled or directly affected by this project.
What this research studies
This project will adapt and extend the PALM software to process extremely large brain-imaging datasets from programs like ABCD and the Human Connectome Project. It will add cloud-based capabilities, parallel processing, and new imaging standards so researchers can run valid permutation tests quickly and with fewer assumptions. The work aims to make complex analyses accessible to more researchers and to improve comparisons across different brain data. By enabling scalable, robust analyses, this effort could help advance our understanding of brain structure and function in health and disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, researchers could perform more accurate brain data analyses faster, potentially accelerating discoveries related to brain development and disorders.
How similar studies have gone: PALM is already a well-used tool with established utility in brain imaging; this project enhances it, representing an iterative but impactful improvement.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Winkler, Anderson M — University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Study coordinator: Winkler, Anderson M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Cellular tests of how genes and environment shape disease risk
A study using patient-derived stem cells to see how genetics and environmental exposures interact to affect disease-related cellular traits.
-
How specific RNA molecules influence estrogen-driven cell growth
This project looks at whether certain RNA molecules change how estrogen fuels growth in estrogen-receptor-positive cells, which is relevant to people with ER-positive breast cancer.
-
How a Mild Brain Injury Might Raise Heart Disease Risk Later
A study in people with a mild brain injury (like a concussion) explores how inflammation after injury could lead to heart disease years down the line.
-
Genomic clues to how pollutants raise depression risk in Mexican American families
This project looks at how environmental pollutants may contribute to major depressive disorder in multi-generational Mexican American families, using genomic and pollutant measurements to find risky factors.
-
Hepatocellular Genetic Clues for Fatty Liver in Hispanic Adults
A large NIH grant helps researchers study why fatty liver develops in Hispanic adults and how genetics interact with lifestyle to affect risk.
-
Community Engagement Core for Genomics in South Texas
A community-focused program in South Texas will build trusted relationships, improve understanding of genomics, and encourage participation in genomic research to benefit local health.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.