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Press release
Friday, September 3, 2021
The National Institutes of Health is awarding seven projects a total of $ 18.15 million over five years to a new effort focused on interoception, the way organisms detect and regulate signals in their bodies. Interoception is not well understood and is a new area of research for NIH. This coordinated effort, which involves multiple NIH institutes and centers, will address critical knowledge gaps and challenges in understanding interoception that are not addressed by other major NIH research initiatives.
The interoception research effort is part of the NIH blueprint for neuroscience research, and the seven grant-awarded studies are expected to advance researchers’ understanding of nervous system function and disorders and the role of the interoception in human health.
“Interoception dysfunctions can play an important role in many neurological, psychiatric and behavioral disorders,” said Helene Langevin, MD, director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at NIH. “Better understanding how interoception works can help us develop better ways to treat these conditions. “
The Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a collaborative framework through which 14 NIH institutes, centers and offices, including the NCCIH, jointly support nervous system research. The seven projects funded by this award will study neural circuits involved in functional communication between organ systems and the brain for processes such as digestion, metabolism and respiration in experimental model systems. They will also seek to understand the health consequences of disruptive signals between the brain and these organ systems.
“Research is needed to understand how a multitude of bodily functions interact with our neural circuits to determine ‘how we feel’ and how neural activity automatically modulates critical bodily functions on an ongoing basis. Understanding the integration of neural systems with our bodies can lead to the treatment of a multitude of diseases and help many people “feel better,” said Walter Koroshetz, MD, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke (NINDS).
The seven projects funded by the Blueprint for Neuroscience Research are:
- Functional neural circuits of the stomach-brain interoception; University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan: Zhongming Liu, Ph.D. and Jiande Chen, Ph.D. This project will map the two-way communication pathways between the brain and the stomach. It will also examine how nutrients and other gastric stimuli affect brain activity and study the regions of the brain that send signals to control gastric function. (Grant # R01 AT011665-01)
- Dissect the interoception circuit that controls airway constriction; University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif .: Xin Sun, Ph.D. This project will map the neural circuits by which signals travel between the lungs and the brain when an allergen is detected. He is also looking to determine which neurons are activated by signals in peripheral ganglia and brain regions, including the nucleus of the solitary tract, among others. He will use various stimuli to assess the gain and loss of lung function related to major vagal, spinal and brain connections. (Grant # R01 AT011676-01)
- Metabolic changes: connection of temperature-sensitive neurons to sympathetic stimulation of adipose tissue; Louisiana State University Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Heike Muenzberg-Gruening, Ph.D. This project will study how the brain and fatty tissue communicate using the sympathetic nervous system to regulate levels leptin hormones. He will use cutting-edge techniques to identify new neural circuits that excit and inhibit brown and white adipose tissue. He will also study how various physiological conditions (high or low body temperature, fasting or diet) influence the interactions between fatty tissue and areas of the brain involved in temperature control and taste perception. (Grant # R01 AT011683-01)
- Functional identification of vagal sensory neurons innervating the liver; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York: Young-Hwan Jo, Ph.D. This project will map the pathway by which the liver and brain communicate using the sympathetic nervous system to regulate glucose production, metabolism, and controlling processes and directing other functions governed by the liver. It will also explore the potential effects of disturbances in this path. (Grant # R01 AT011653-01)
- Dissection of neural circuits for respiratory patterns; University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan: Peng Li, Ph.D. This project seeks to understand whether brainstem neurons that express one of two peptides, the gastrin-releasing peptide (Grp) or tachykinin 1 (Tac1), play a central role in the control of two respiratory reflexes that protect the airways during breathing: sighing and coughing. He will also study the responses of brain circuits to signals associated with these reflexes. By identifying the cells and molecules involved in this signaling, the project hopes to demonstrate how the brain processes interoceptive signals related to sighs and coughs. (Grant # R01 AT011652-01)
- Unravel pulmonary interoception and its functional consequences in the developing ovine lung; Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA: Arlin B. Blood, Ph.D. and Christopher G. Wilson, Ph.D. This project will investigate the role of intrinsic pulmonary interoceptors and their circuits in the normal development of lung networks and central respiratory systems. He will map the pulmonary interoceptor circuits from the lung to the brain and explore the potential effects of disturbances in this pathway on lung structure and function during fetal and neonatal stages of life. (Grant # R01 AT011691-01)
- Sensory ganglia of the spine and intestinal sensation; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York: Ivan De Araujo, Ph.D. This project will study how the body uses sensory nerves in the spine to send signals to the lateral reticular nucleus area of the brain regarding changes in the gut such as distension. He will also study how the stomach-spine-brain pathways influence brain circuits in the parietal cortex, island cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex as well as functions such as the reward response in the brain. (Grant # R01 AT011697-01)
“Interoceptive processes play an important role in a range of different cognitive and emotional behaviors. Basic research studies, such as those supported under the Blueprint Initiative, will provide the fundamental anatomical and functional data needed to deepen our understanding of interoception and to foster future studies focused on how interoceptive pathway dysfunction could contribute to mental illnesses and other brain disorders. said Joshua A. Gordon, MD, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
Learn more about the Blueprint for Neuroscience Research in the Trends in neuroscience Editorial Special Issue: The Neuroscience of Interoception at https://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(20)30270-8.
About the blueprint for neuroscience research: The Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a collaborative framework through which 14 NIH institutes, centers and offices jointly support neuroscience-related research, with the goal of accelerating discovery and reducing the burden of nervous system disorders. For more information on the Blueprint for Neuroscience Research and its funding and training opportunities, visit https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/.
About the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH):
The mission of the NCCIH is to define, through rigorous scientific research, the basic science, utility and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and healthcare. For more information, call the NCCIH clearinghouse toll-free at 1-888-644-6226. follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
NINDS is the largest national funder of brain and nervous system research. The mission of NINDS is to research fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use this knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.
About the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): NIMH’s mission is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit the NIMH website.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):The NIH, the national agency for medical research, comprises 27 institutes and centers and is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH is the principal federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and studies the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. For more information about the NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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