Physiological Studies of Identified Cortical Neurons
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Christopher Platt', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Neurons are the cells of the brain that are the units for                  information processing.  Understanding the properties of their                  cell membranes, including excitability and neurotransmission                    between neurons, is crucial to an understanding of brain                        function.  In complex mammalian brains it has been technically                  difficult to study membrane properties of identifiable cells,                   particularly in the cerebral cortex.  Conversely, the isolation                 of single cells in a dish ("in vitro") for membrane recordings                  makes it difficult to identify the type of neurons these cells                  were in the normal brain.                                                            This project will provide a new approach to try to establish               reliable methods to culture and identify cell types or classes                  isolated from the cortex, and characterize the physiological and                pharmacological responses of those neurons.  Cells that project                 across the brain hemispheres, called callosal neurons, can be                   distinctly labelled by their uptake of non-toxic microscopic                    fluorescent beads.  These cells will then be studied in vitro,                  either as cultured dissociated cells after removal from newborn                 rats, or in a thin-slice preparation taken from whole brain.                    Microelectrodes will be used to test the response of these cells                to electrical stimuli across their membranes, to examine the                    nature of the currents of charged ionic particles that drive the                excitable properties of the cells.  These studies will compare                  changes in the cell properties with time since isolation or with                time since birth, and will look for possible functional differ-                 ences among cells that appear morphologically similar.  This                    approach to classify cortical cell types on the basis of membrane               properties is technically very demanding, but success will be a                 breakthrough offering a powerful new way for electrophysiologists               to study cortical processing.
[{'FirstName': 'Jeanne', 'LastName': 'Nerbonne', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'M', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Jeanne M Nerbonne', 'EmailAddress': None, 'NSF_ID': '000092662', 'StartDate': '11/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Andreas', 'LastName': 'Burkhalter', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Andreas Burkhalter', 'EmailAddress': None, 'NSF_ID': '000465932', 'StartDate': '11/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Washington University', 'CityName': 'SAINT LOUIS', 'ZipCode': '63110', 'PhoneNumber': '3147474134', 'StreetAddress': 'ONE BROOKINGS DR', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Missouri', 'StateCode': 'MO', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '01', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'MO01', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'L6NFUM28LQM5', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, THE', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '1185', 'Text': 'SENSORY SYSTEMS'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8809823.xml'}