Sources and Mechanisms of Sequential Brain Activity
Official title: P1: Sources and Mechanisms of Sequential Activity
Funded at Princeton University · NIH-11385501 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study at Princeton will look at how mouse brains use sequences of neural activity to help make decisions, and how timing and navigation influence those sequences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Princeton University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Princeton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 8, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $277,371 |
| NIH project number | 5U19NS132720-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11385501 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with a condition involving cognitive timing and decision-making processes, particularly those that could benefit from improved understanding of brain timing mechanisms.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals without cognitive timing or decision-making difficulties may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will record brain activity in mice during an evidence-accumulation task to see how sequential neural patterns form a temporal scaffold for decision making. They will compare active navigation, passive navigation, and visual input to identify what triggers sequential activity. The project will also test whether the dorsal medial striatum helps set the timing of these sequences by briefly cooling this area and observing effects on choices. The goal is to understand how timing and context shape neural signals that guide behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could lead to better insight into how the brain structures time and decisions, which may inform interventions for disorders affecting cognition and timing.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows that targeted cooling can reveal timing roles of brain regions, supporting the plausibility of the approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Princeton University
Princeton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tank, David W — Princeton University
- Study coordinator: Tank, David W
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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.