How the retrosplenial cortex helps navigation and memory
Official title: Retrosplenial Cortex Circuit Interactions Supporting Spatial Cognition and Memory
Funded at University of California Santa Barbara · NIH-11163463 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how circuits in a brain area called the retrosplenial cortex help people find their way and form memories, with the aim of helping those with Alzheimer's.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Santa Barbara NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Barbara, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R00NS119665-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163463 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This R00 project itself does not enroll patients; related future human studies would most likely recruit people with early Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment who experience spatial disorientation or memory loss.
✕Less likely to help
People with advanced-stage Alzheimer's or with unrelated medical conditions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic laboratory research.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, scientists will use advanced brain recording, in vivo imaging, and targeted circuit-control techniques to see how cells in the retrosplenial cortex represent space and support episodic memory. Most experiments use animal models to map which sub-populations of cells are active during navigation and how inputs shape spatial coding. The team will apply projection-specific optogenetics to turn particular pathways on or off and high-density extracellular recordings to read circuit activity during behavior. Learning these circuit dynamics is intended to explain why people with Alzheimer's often get disoriented and to guide future human-focused tests or therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reveal specific brain-circuit changes that cause spatial disorientation in Alzheimer's, pointing to new targets for diagnosis or treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies using recordings and optogenetics have successfully clarified circuit roles in navigation and memory, but applying those findings to Alzheimer's disease remains early and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alexander, Andrew S. — University of California Santa Barbara
- Study coordinator: Alexander, Andrew S.
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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.