Understanding how brain regions communicate in autism and related conditions
Official title: CRCNS: Dissecting Directed Interactions Amongst Multiple Neuronal Populations
Funded at Carnegie-Mellon University · NIH-11418889 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project at Carnegie Mellon will map how multiple brain areas exchange signals, using advanced methods to study complex brain networks in the context of autism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Carnegie-Mellon University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $335,050 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY035896-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418889 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals affected by autistic disorder whose care may benefit from future translational insights into brain network function.
✕Less likely to help
Direct participation by patients is not a current component of this basic-science project.
What this research studies
This project develops new statistical methods to measure how signals flow across many brain areas at once. It will test these methods in the macaque visual system, building toward insights about how distributed brain networks support behavior. The work aims to move beyond looking at single neurons or simple pairwise connections to understand multi-area communication patterns that may relate to autism and brain function. By validating these approaches, the researchers hope to create tools that could eventually inform how brain network dysfunction is addressed in autism.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve our understanding of brain network communication in autism, potentially guiding future therapies or diagnostic approaches that target how different brain areas coordinate.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that analyzing multi-area brain interactions can reveal important network dynamics, and this work builds on that foundation with new methods.
Where this research is happening
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Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yu, Byron M. — Carnegie-Mellon University
- Study coordinator: Yu, Byron M.
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.