How specific acetylcholine receptors in a hippocampus region affect memory stability
Official title: CRCNS: Role of mAChRs on CA 1 pyramidal neurons in memory formation and stability
Funded at Max Planck Florida Corporation · NIH-11094832 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether activating certain muscarinic acetylcholine receptors on hippocampal CA1 neurons helps form and keep memories, with relevance to aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Max Planck Florida Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Jupiter, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $356,888 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG085899-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11094832 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, or age-related memory decline would be the most relevant groups for future therapies informed by this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose memory problems come from non-hippocampal causes or non-cholinergic forms of dementia may not benefit directly from these findings.
What this research studies
This project focuses on a type of acetylcholine receptor (muscarinic receptors) found on CA1 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus and how they shape memory-related brain activity. The team will manipulate these receptors in preclinical models while recording hippocampal activity during navigation and memory tasks, using cell-type-specific tools to turn receptor signaling up or down. They will track internally generated sequences of neural activity to see how receptor changes affect the formation and long-term stability of memory codes and related behavior. Results are meant to reveal circuit-level mechanisms that decline with aging and in Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify specific receptor targets to guide new treatments that strengthen memory circuits affected by aging and Alzheimer's disease.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research links cholinergic loss to memory decline and shows modest benefits from broadly boosting acetylcholine, but targeting muscarinic receptors on specific CA1 neuron types is a relatively new, mostly preclinical approach.
Where this research is happening
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Max Planck Florida Corporation
Jupiter, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Yingxue — Max Planck Florida Corporation
- Study coordinator: Wang, Yingxue
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.