How connected brain regions support quick, flexible visual choices
Multiregional Neuronal Computations Underlying Rapid and Flexible Visual Categorical Decisions
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · NIH-11262827
This project looks at how networks of brain cells in linked regions work together to make fast visual choices, with relevance for people affected by Alzheimer's and related brain conditions.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CHICAGO, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11262827 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will record activity from large groups of neurons in three linked brain areas while subjects perform visual choice tasks. They will temporarily and reversibly silence each area to see how that changes behavior and brain signals. The team will build computer models based on the recordings and inactivation results to test how coordinated activity supports quick decisions. The aim is to connect specific brain activity patterns to the ability to recognize and choose between visual options, a skill often affected in Alzheimer's and other brain disorders.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with Alzheimer's disease or others who have trouble recognizing things or making quick visual choices would be most relevant to the goals of this research.
Not a fit: People without visual decision or recognition problems, or those seeking immediate clinical treatments, are unlikely to get direct benefit from this basic neuroscience project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal how breakdowns in communication between brain regions cause visual decision problems in conditions like Alzheimer's, guiding future diagnostics or treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work on these brain areas has clarified circuits for visual choices and eye movements, but combining large-scale population recordings, reversible inactivations, and new theoretical models is a relatively new and promising approach.
Where this research is happening
CHICAGO, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO — CHICAGO, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: FREEDMAN, DAVID J — UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- Study coordinator: FREEDMAN, DAVID J
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.
Conditions: Alzheimer disease dementia, Alzheimer syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease