How social experiences shape brain circuits for recognizing others
Official title: Experience-dependent tuning of socially selective neural circuits
Funded at Wake Forest University · NIH-11460239 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work will learn how social experiences change the brain circuits that help adults recognize and respond to other people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2026 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 4R00EY035504-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11460239 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project does not enroll patients; it is laboratory research using paper wasps and has no patient eligibility criteria.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate changes to clinical care for social or cognitive disorders are unlikely to receive direct or near-term benefit from this basic animal research.
What this research studies
This project uses northern paper wasps as a model to understand how social experience tunes brain circuits for recognizing others. Wasps emerge from development without image-forming eyes, so researchers can precisely control when and what social information the adults see and who they meet. The team will manipulate the wasps' social exposure, then examine changes in brain cells, circuits, and behavior using imaging and cellular methods. These basic findings aim to inform later work on social recognition in people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could reveal basic brain mechanisms that guide later development of treatments or interventions for people with social recognition difficulties.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in paper wasps and other animal models has shown social experience can shape social recognition, so this approach builds on promising but still early-stage findings.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jernigan, Christopher M — Wake Forest University
- Study coordinator: Jernigan, Christopher M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Overcoming glutamate-driven brain damage during metabolic stress
A researcher at Wake Forest University is studying how the brain can avoid damaging glutamate surges during metabolic stress, with potential relevance to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
-
Neuroimaging and multi-omics to subtype Alzheimer's and predict its course with confidence
A project at Wake Forest University aims to combine brain scans with genetic, RNA, and protein data to identify distinct Alzheimer's subtypes and predict how the disease will progress with reliable uncertainty estimates.
-
Chemical biology of nitroxyl (HNO) in Bacillus subtilis and its link to bacterial redox health
This grant explores how nitroxyl (HNO) interacts with bacterial redox chemistry to understand potential new ways to combat anthrax-causing bacteria.
-
Mobile health program to reduce pain and boost function in older adults with knee/hip osteoarthritis
A remotely delivered program helps adults 65+ who have knee or hip osteoarthritis reduce pain and improve daily function by promoting more activity and better weight management.
-
Exercise and bone-strengthening medication to protect bones during weight loss in older adults
A year-long study will test whether resistance training, bone-loading exercise, and a common osteoporosis drug can help older adults lose weight without losing bone density.
-
Osteoarthritis Prevention in Women: Weight Loss and Exercise to Keep Knees Healthy
A big study is testing whether a combined plan of weight loss, exercise, and staying with the plan can prevent knee arthritis in women aged 50 and older who are overweight.
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.