Professor Clark Lindgren Receives NIH Grant to Study Synaptic Stability
91大神 is proud to announce that Clark Lindgren, Patricia A. Johnson Professor of Neuroscience, has been awarded a $515,078 grant from the National Institutes of Health鈥檚 () National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. His project, 鈥淚nvestigating the role of pH in presynaptic homeostatic potentiation at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction,鈥 (R15NS139201) will advance understanding of how neurons and muscle cells communicate and adapt to change.
This award comes through the NIH鈥檚 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program, which funds research at institutions that emphasize undergraduate research training and receive less than $6 million in NIH funding annually.
Lindgren shared, 鈥淚 am excited for the opportunity this grant provides鈥攏ot only to deepen our understanding of how synapses maintain stability, but also to create a dynamic mentoring environment for my students. Combining professional support with peer-to-peer mentorship allows us to model the collaborative nature of science while giving undergraduates a truly immersive research experience.鈥
Lindgren鈥檚 research focuses on synaptic homeostasis鈥攖he way synapses, or points of communication between neurons and other cells, maintain stability in response to both normal physiological changes and disease-related disruptions. The findings may provide new insights into neurological health and resilience.
Beyond its scientific contributions, the project will also serve as a mentorship model for undergraduate research. In addition to close faculty guidance from Lindgren, students will learn alongside a professional research technician supported by the grant. The project also includes a peer-mentoring component, in which an advanced student who previously conducted a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) with Lindgren will continue working in the lab while supporting new researchers.
This structure blends the rigor of a large research university with the close mentoring of a liberal arts environment, offering students hands-on opportunities to contribute to original neuroscience research.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.