Probing how endocannabinoids shape memory in the hippocampus using light-based brain sensing
Official title: Probing endocannabinoid-mediated inhibitory synaptic mechanisms of hippocampal plasticity with all-optical physiology
Funded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology · NIH-11433578 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research team at MIT is studying how endocannabinoids influence memory by watching and controlling brain signals in behaving mice with advanced light-based tools.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | August 20, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $543,711 |
| NIH project number | 1R01MH145508-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11433578 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with memory impairment or Alzheimer’s disease dementia in the future translational paths, but the current work uses mouse models and does not involve direct patient participation.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals without memory impairment may not directly benefit from this basic science study.
What this research studies
This project uses a cutting-edge all-optical physiology approach to observe and manipulate synaptic activity in the hippocampus of mice as they learn tasks in a virtual reality setting. By combining patterned optogenetic stimulation with targeted voltage imaging, researchers aim to see how endocannabinoids modulate inhibitory synapses during learning and memory formation. The work seeks to reveal the real-time synaptic changes that underlie behavioral plasticity, offering a bridge from basic mechanisms to memory disorders like Alzheimer's disease. The study is designed to track fast neural events with millisecond precision while animals navigate and form memories, helping us understand how memory declines in dementia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform new strategies to preserve or restore memory by targeting endocannabinoid signaling in hippocampal circuits.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows endocannabinoid signaling affects synaptic plasticity ex vivo; this project advances understanding in behaving animals, which is a newer, more translational direction.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fan, Linlin — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Fan, Linlin
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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.