Understanding how the brain controls and regulates actions
Official title: Modeling and Mapping Human Action Regulation Networks
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-10911212 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how people control their actions when things around them change, especially how they decide to stop or switch what they're doing, and it could help those with conditions that make it hard to manage their actions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $890,318 |
| NIH project number | 5U01NS132788-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10911212 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation or benefit include individuals diagnosed with neuropsychiatric disorders that impact action inhibition, such as Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette syndrome.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without neuropsychiatric disorders or those whose conditions do not affect action regulation may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how humans manage and regulate their actions in response to changing environments, focusing on the critical process of action inhibition. It aims to develop a neurocomputational model that integrates various factors influencing action regulation, such as the value of targets and the costs of changing actions. By examining three distinct types of action regulation—action selection, stopping, and switching—the study seeks to uncover the underlying neural mechanisms involved. Patients may benefit from insights gained through this research, particularly those with neuropsychiatric conditions that affect action control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders that involve action regulation issues, such as Parkinson's disease and Tourette syndrome.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in understanding action regulation, but this approach aims to integrate multiple factors in a novel way, making it a potentially groundbreaking effort.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pouratian, Nader — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Pouratian, Nader
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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.