Keeping brain cell activity balanced in autism
Official title: Mechanisms and Function of Firing Rate Homeostasis in Cortical Circuits
Funded at Brandeis University · NIH-11334315 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how brain circuits restore their normal activity after disturbances to help people with autism and related conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brandeis University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waltham, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2019 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,058,237 |
| NIH project number | 5R35NS111562-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11334315 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with autism spectrum disorder or related neurodevelopmental conditions, especially those who also have epilepsy or signs of abnormal brain excitability, would be the most relevant future candidate group for therapies based on this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic laboratory research while it is still at the animal-model stage.
What this research studies
Researchers use animal experiments and brain recordings to see how neurons return to their individual baseline activity after changes in sensory input. They identify the molecules and cellular steps that allow neurons to scale their connections up or down and develop tools to block these balancing mechanisms in living animals. By measuring firing rates in freely moving animals, the team aims to understand how this balancing act prevents too much or too little brain activity during development, which is relevant to autism and epilepsy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new targets for treatments that normalize brain circuit activity in autism or epilepsy.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies have established homeostatic firing-rate mechanisms and synaptic scaling, but translating these findings into human therapies remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Brandeis University
Waltham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Turrigiano, Gina G — Brandeis University
- Study coordinator: Turrigiano, Gina G
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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.