A neuroscientist from Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter Life Science Initiative and collaborators from the University of Minnesota and Stowers Institute for Medical Research recently received a four-year, $1.68 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health for a collaborative project that utilizes genomic and transgenic technology in Mexican cavefish to identify genetic loci that contribute to sleep, feeding, and metabolism.
Mexican cavefish have been studied for nearly 100 years for their fascinating traits, yet little is known about how their behavior evolves. Because of their lack of sleep, they provide a great model to study human sleep disorders such as insomnia.
The attached news release and link to the FAU Newsdesk (http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/cavefish-nih-grant.php) provide more details about this research project.