R01MH126979

PUBERTY-RELATED DEVELOPMENT OF FRONTO-AMYGDALA CIRCUITRY IN ANXIOUS YOUTH: A MULTIMODAL NEUROIMAGING STUDY WITH ULTRA-HIGH RESOLUTION MRI SCANNER (7T) - SUMMARY

ANXIETY DISORDERS, WHICH ONSET DURING CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENCE, OFTEN PERSIST INTO ADULTHOOD, AND INCREASE THE RISK OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE. EARLY ADOLESCENCE, WITH THE ONSET OF PUBERTY, IS AN IMPORTANT PERIOD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND/OR EXACERBATION OF ANXIETY SYMPTOMS – I.E., GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) AND SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER (SAD) – WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF SYMPTOMS IN GIRLS THAN BOYS.

DURING THIS TIME, FRONTO-AMYGDALA CIRCUITRY, WHICH SUPPORTS EMOTION REGULATION, UNDERGOES IMPORTANT MATURATIONAL CHANGES. ALTHOUGH ALTERATIONS IN THIS CIRCUITRY HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ANXIETY DISORDERS, THE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE SEX DIFFERENCES IN LEVELS OF ANXIETY SYMPTOMS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD.

COMPARED TO NON-ANXIOUS YOUTH, ANXIOUS YOUTH EXHIBIT GREATER AMYGDALA ACTIVATION AND REDUCED FRONTO-AMYGDALA FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY WHEN PROCESSING THREAT-RELATED STIMULI. SUCH REDUCED TOP–DOWN MODULATION OF AMYGDALA ACTIVITY TO THREAT HAS BEEN LINKED IN ANXIOUS ADULTS TO ELEVATED CONCENTRATIONS IN -AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) AND GLUTAMATE IN THE VENTROMEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (VMPFC) AND AMYGDALA, RESPECTIVELY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED, INCLUDING IN ANXIOUS YOUTH, TO REDUCED INTEGRITY OF WHITE MATTER TRACTS CONNECTING VMPFC AND AMYGDALA (I.E., UNCINATE FASCICULUS AND CINGULUM).

WHILE VMPFC INHIBITION OF AMYGDALA ACTIVITY INCREASES WITH AGE, WE AND OTHERS HAVE SHOWN IN HEALTHY AND AT- RISK YOUTH THAT INCREASES IN PUBERTAL HORMONES, PARTICULARLY TESTOSTERONE, ARE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED VMPFC- AMYGDALA FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY TO THREAT. WE WILL TEST THE MODEL THAT INCREASES IN PUBERTAL HORMONES DURING EARLY ADOLESCENCE WILL EXACERBATE ALTERATIONS IN FRONTO-AMYGDALA CIRCUITRY IN ANXIOUS YOUTH AND CONTRIBUTE TO GREATER THREAT REACTIVITY AND INCREASES IN ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, ESPECIALLY IN GIRLS.

WE TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS IN A SAMPLE OF MEDICATION-FREE 140 ADOLESCENTS (50% FEMALE), VARYING IN LEVELS OF ANXIETY, WITH 2/3 OVERSAMPLED FOR CLINICAL LEVELS OF GAD AND SAD SYMPTOMS. WE WILL REPEATEDLY ASSESS PARTICIPANTS AT FIVE TIMEPOINTS.

AT BASELINE AND APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS LATER, WE WILL ASSESS ANXIETY (CLINICAL INTERVIEWS, QUESTIONNAIRES), PUBERTAL STATUS (TANNER, SELF-REPORT), PUBERTAL HORMONES (DHEA, TESTOSTERONE, AND ESTRADIOL), THREAT REACTIVITY IN A REAL-WORLD CONTEXT WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF THREAT REACTIVITY, AND NEURAL INDICES OF VMPFC-AMYGDALA CIRCUITRY (FMRI DURING THREAT PROCESSING AND AT REST, WHITE MATTER CONNECTIVITY, AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY (MRS) MEASURES OF GABA AND GLUTAMATE).

CHANGE IN SYMPTOMS WILL BE ASSESSED BI-ANNUALLY VIA ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRES OVER 2 YEARS POST BASELINE VISIT. WE USE AN ULTRA HIGH-FIELD MRI AT 7 TESLA, WHICH WILL YIELD UNPRECEDENTED CHARACTERIZATION OF VMPFC-AMYGDALA NEURODEVELOPMENT IN ANXIOUS YOUTH.

WE WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF PUBERTAL HORMONES, ANXIETY, AND THREAT REACTIVITY ON WHOLE BRAIN FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS AND EXAMINE HOW EACH OF THE NEURAL INDICES RELATE TO EACH OTHER OVER TIME.

OUR GOALS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE RDOC INITIATIVE AND NIMH STRATEGY 2.2, ENCOURAGING IDENTIFICATION OF EARLY BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS AND THEIR UNDERLYING MECHANISMS TO INFORM THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION.

University Of Pittsburgh - Of The Commonwealth System Of Higher Education

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (NIMH) IS TO TRANSFORM THE UNDERSTANDING AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESSES THROUGH BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH, PAVING THE WAY FOR PREVENTION, RECOVERY, AND CURE. IN MAY 2020, NIMH RELEASED ITS NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH. THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN BUILDS ON THE SUCCESSES OF PREVIOUS NIMH STRATEGIC PLANS BY PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION, AND ADDRESSING NEW CHALLENGES IN MENTAL HEALTH. THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINES FOUR HIGH-LEVEL GOALS: GOAL 1: DEFINE THE BRAIN MECHANISMS UNDERLYING COMPLEX BEHAVIORS GOAL 2: EXAMINE MENTAL ILLNESS TRAJECTORIES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN GOAL 3: STRIVE FOR PREVENTION AND CURES GOAL 4: STRENGTHEN THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF NIMH-SUPPORTED RESEARCH THESE FOUR GOALS FORM A BROAD ROADMAP FOR THE INSTITUTE'S RESEARCH PRIORITIES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, BEGINNING WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, AND EXTENDING THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED SERVICES THAT IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES. THE INSTITUTE'S OVERALL FUNDING STRATEGY IS TO SUPPORT A BROAD SPECTRUM OF INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH IN FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE, WITH INCREASING USE OF INSTITUTE-SOLICITED INITIATIVES FOR APPLIED RESEARCH WHERE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT IS A SHORT-TERM MEASURE OF SUCCESS. THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN ALSO ADDRESSES A NUMBER OF CROSS-CUTTING THEMES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO ALL RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY NIMH, THESE THEMES HIGHLIGHT AREAS WHERE NIMH-FUNDED SCIENCE MAY HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT, BRIDGE GAPS, AND OFFER NOVEL APPROACHES TO ACCELERATE ADVANCES IN MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH. FOR EXAMPLE, NIMH VALUES A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH AGENDA THAT TAKES AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH THAT ENSURES RESEARCH INTERESTS ARE VARIED, MAINTAIN DIVERSE PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIPS, AND ACHIEVE RESEARCH GOALS ACROSS MULTIPLE TIMEFRAMES. THIS INCLUDES DIVERSE METHODOLOGIES, TOOLS, AND MODELS, RESEARCH ADDRESSING COMPLEX BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL, AND APPLIED QUESTIONS, RESEARCH INCLUDING BOTH SEXES AND, AS APPROPRIATE, GENETIC BACKGROUND, AND, PARTICIPANTS FROM DIVERSE RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS, AND ACROSS GENDER IDENTITIES, GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, NEUROTYPE, AND AGE OFFERING THE BEST POSSIBLE REPRESENTATION, FOR THE BROADEST NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY ULTIMATELY BENEFIT FROM THESE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES. TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS OUTLINED IN THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, NIMH WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT AIMS: TO CHARACTERIZE THE GENOMIC, MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND CIRCUIT COMPONENTS CONTRIBUTING TO BRAIN ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION, TO IDENTIFY THE DEVELOPMENTAL, FUNCTIONAL, AND REGULATORY MECHANISMS RELEVANT TO COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, AND SOCIAL DOMAINS, ACROSS UNITS OF ANALYSIS, AND, TO GENERATE AND VALIDATE NOVEL TOOLS, TECHNIQUES, AND MEASURES TO QUANTIFY CHANGES IN THE ACTIVITY OF MOLECULES, CELLS, CIRCUITS, AND CONNECTOMES. TO DISCOVER GENE VARIANTS AND OTHER GENOMIC ELEMENTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESSES IN DIVERSE POPULATIONS, TO ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX ETIOLOGY OF MENTAL ILLNESSES USING MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGIC APPROACHES THAT INCORPORATE INDIVIDUAL GENETIC INFORMATION IN LARGE COHORTS, TO ELUCIDATE HOW HUMAN GENETIC VARIATION AFFECTS THE COORDINATION OF MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL NETWORKS SUPPORTING HIGHER-ORDER FUNCTIONS AND EMERGENT PROPERTIES OF NEUROBIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND, TO DEVELOP NOVEL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LARGE-SCALE GENETIC, MULTI-OMIC DATA AS IT APPLIES TO MENTAL HEALTH. TO UTILIZE CONNECTOMIC APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY BRAIN NETWORKS AND CIRCUIT COMPONENTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO VARIOUS ASPECTS OF MENTAL FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION, TO DETERMINE THROUGH BRAIN-WIDE ANALYSIS HOW CHANGES IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF MOLECULES, CELLS, AND CIRCUITS CONTRIBUTE TO MENTAL ILLNESSES, TO DEVELOP MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND CIRCUIT-LEVEL BIOMARKERS OF IMPAIRED NEURAL FUNCTION IN HUMANS, AND, TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING NEW IMAGING, COMPUTATIONAL, PHARMACOLOGICAL, AND GENETIC TOOLS TO INTERROGATE AND MODULATE CIRCUIT ACTIVITY AND STRUCTURE ALTERED IN MENTAL ILLNESSES. TO ELUCIDATE THE MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE TRAJECTORIES OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR, AND, TO CHARACTERIZE THE EMERGENCE AND PROGRESSION OF MENTAL ILLNESSES, AND IDENTIFYING SENSITIVE PERIODS FOR OPTIMAL INTERVENTION. TO DETERMINE EARLY RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS, AND RELATED MECHANISMS, TO SERVE AS NOVEL INTERVENTION GROUPS, AND, TO DEVELOP RELIABLE AND ROBUST BIOMARKERS AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS TO PREDICT ILLNESS ONSET, COURSE, AND ACROSS DIVERSE POPULATIONS. TO DEVELOP NOVEL INTERVENTIONS USING A MECHANISM-INFORMED, EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS APPROACH, AND, TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT MEASUREMENT STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE MECHANISM-BASED INTERVENTION DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING. TO INVESTIGATE PERSONALIZED INTERVENTION STRATEGIES ACROSS DISEASE PROGRESSION AND DEVELOPMENT, AND, TO DEVELOP AND REFINE COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES AND RESEARCH DESIGNS THAT CAN BE USED TO INFORM AND TEST PERSONALIZED INTERVENTIONS. TO DEVELOP AND TEST APPROACHES FOR ADAPTING, COMBINING, AND SEQUENCING INTERVENTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON THE LIVES AND FUNCTIONING OF PERSONS SEEKING CARE, TO CONDUCT EFFICIENT PRAGMATIC TRIALS THAT EMPLOY NEW TOOLS TO RAPIDLY IDENTIFY, ENGAGE, ASSESS, AND FOLLOW PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTEXT OF ROUTINE CARE, AND, TO ENHANCE THE PRACTICAL RELEVANCE OF EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH VIA DEPLOYMENT-FOCUSED, HYBRID, EFFECTIVENESS-IMPLEMENTATION STUDIES. TO EMPLOY ASSESSMENT PLATFORMS WITHIN HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS TO ACCURATELY ASSESS THE DISTRIBUTION AND DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL ILLNESSES AND TO INFORM STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVED SERVICES, TO OPTIMIZE REAL-WORLD DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS TO IDENTIFY STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING ACCESS, QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND CONTINUITY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND, TO COMPARE ALTERNATIVE FINANCING MODELS TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCES AND SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES. TO STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING, SUSTAINING, AND CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES, TO BUILD MODELS TO SCALE-UP EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES FOR USE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRIMARY CARE, SPECIALTY CARE AND OTHER SETTINGS, AND, TO DEVELOP DECISION-SUPPORT TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRIMARY CARE, SPECIALTY CARE, AND OTHER SETTINGS. TO ADAPT, VALIDATE, AND SCALE-UP PROGRAMS CURRENTLY IN USE THAT IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS THAT PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF MENTAL ILLNESS, TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE SYSTEMS-LEVEL STRATEGIES USING TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER APPROACHES, TO IDENTIFY, SUPPORT, AND MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EVIDENCE-BASED CARE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF ILLNESS, AND, TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE DECISION-MAKING MODELS THAT BRIDGE MENTAL HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND OTHER CARE SETTINGS TO INTEGRATE THE APPROPRIATE CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES AND COMORBID MEDICAL CONDITIONS.

93.242 - Mental Health Research Grants

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) [HHS - NIH]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 152133203 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 400% from $766,641 to $3,834,240.