Linking slow brain rhythms to tiny brain circuits that shape attention and arousal
Official title: Integrated brain network and cell-circuit models of slow network fluctuations
Funded at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res · NIH-11349779 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds computer models to connect slow brain activity seen on EEG and fMRI with the activity of brain cells and circuits that influence attention and arousal.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| 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 | April 15, 2017 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $317,064 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MH109429-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349779 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who take part in EEG, iEEG, or fMRI recording studies—such as patients undergoing epilepsy monitoring or volunteers in cognitive neuroscience studies—would be the most likely participants.
✕Less likely to help
Patients looking for an immediate new treatment are unlikely to benefit directly since this is foundational modeling research rather than a therapeutic trial.
What this research studies
From my point of view, researchers will make detailed computer models of brain circuits and connect them into whole‑brain network models. They will fit those models to recordings like EEG, iEEG, local field potentials, and fMRI to reproduce slow fluctuations in brain activity. The team will test ideas about how these slow rhythms arise—for example through switching between different activity states—and how they change attention and sensory processing. Results come from combining simulations with real human and animal recording data to link cell‑level mechanisms to signals we measure noninvasively.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help explain and identify brain activity patterns that underlie attention, arousal, and disorders such as epilepsy or sleep problems, guiding better diagnostics or targeted therapies in the future.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies combining computational models with EEG and fMRI have produced useful insights, but this project uses newer, more detailed cell‑to‑network models that are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
Orangeburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jones, Stephanie Ruggiano — Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
- Study coordinator: Jones, Stephanie Ruggiano
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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.