Faster mapping of single-cell brain connections in the cortex
High-throughput methods for measuring cortical synaptic connectivity at single-cell resolution
Developing faster lab methods to map how individual brain cells connect, to help researchers studying bipolar disorder and related psychiatric illnesses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Broad Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11062734 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will create faster laboratory tools to map which neurons connect to which in the brain’s cortex. They will combine three strategies: virus-based labeling to trace local circuits, holographic optogenetics paired with automated patch-clamp to test functional connections, and molecular barcodes imaged with merFISH to identify synapses and cell types. These tools will be applied in lab models to study genes that raise risk for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This work is laboratory-based (cells and animals) and is intended to guide future patient-focused studies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: No patients are directly enrolled under this grant; people with bipolar disorder or related conditions could be candidates for future clinical studies informed by this work.
Not a fit: Patients looking for immediate changes in their treatment or direct clinical trial enrollment will not benefit directly from this lab-focused project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal how genetic risk for bipolar disorder changes brain wiring and help speed development of more targeted treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Each component method (rabies tracing, optogenetics, automated patch-clamp, merFISH) has shown success on its own, but integrating them into a high-throughput pipeline is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Broad Institute, INC. — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Granger, Adam — Broad Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Granger, Adam
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 below.