How the brain spots unexpected visual changes
Official title: Circuits for deviance detection in V1
Funded at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res · NIH-11141617 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will use mouse experiments to map the brain circuits that notice unexpected sights to better understand visual processing differences linked to autism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orangeburg, United States) |
| Project start | October 3, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $411,533 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY033950-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11141617 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with autism spectrum disorder who want to support or be considered for future studies on visual processing and brain biomarkers would be the most relevant group.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate new therapies are unlikely to benefit directly because this grant funds basic laboratory studies in mice rather than clinical treatment.
What this research studies
This project uses advanced imaging and genetic tools in mice to watch neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) respond when a visual item breaks a repeated pattern. Scientists will focus on specific cell types (superficial pyramidal neurons and GABAergic interneurons) and on input from higher brain areas like the anterior cingulate to see how these parts work together. The team will combine two-photon imaging, circuit manipulation, and comparisons to human EEG findings such as visual mismatch negativity. Findings aim to connect basic circuit mechanisms to the sensory processing differences seen in autistic disorder.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal specific brain circuit targets that explain visual processing differences in autism and guide future diagnostics or treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior human EEG and mouse studies have shown deviance-detection signals and implicated interneurons and top-down inputs, but detailed circuit-level mapping in V1 at this resolution is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
Orangeburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hamm, Jordan P — Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
- Study coordinator: Hamm, Jordan P
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how brain activity changes may drive Alzheimer’s disease progression in a mouse model
Researchers are testing how changes in brain signals and protein cleanup processes affect the development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice.
-
Addressing racial disparities in opioid overdose deaths using open source peer recovery coaching and AI-powered mobile health
A small, open-source program uses AI-powered texting and peer recovery coaching to help Black and Latinx people who use opioids access support and stay in treatment, aiming to reduce overdose deaths and close gaps in care.
-
Hyperexcitability in Alzheimer's Disease and how it affects brain signals
Aimed at people with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, this grant studies abnormal brain activity that happens early in the disease and tests whether stopping it can help cognition and amyloid buildup.
-
Understanding how a brain visual pathway linked to social cues goes wrong in schizophrenia
Aiming to map and understand how a special brain visual pathway that helps read social cues may be disrupted in people with schizophrenia, to identify potential targets for future treatments.
-
Circuits for detecting surprising events in V1 (visual cortex)
This grant studies how the brain automatically notices unexpected visual events, focusing on autism-related brain processing, to understand how people with autism may experience and react to their surroundings.
-
CB1 signaling and alcohol effects in development
This project studies how alcohol exposure before birth changes brain signaling and behavior later in life, with a focus on CB1 receptors in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
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.