Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded Massachusetts General Hospital a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award of $182,851 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) on September 19, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2030. This five-year project grant supports research to identify deficient hippocampal memory replay as a treatable mechanism underlying impaired sleep-dependent memory consolidation (SDMC) in schizophrenia patients. The research leverages clinical data from epilepsy patients undergoing invasive electrode recordings to examine how the precisely coordinated interaction between cortical slow oscillations, thalamocortical spindles, and hippocampal ripples affects memory transfer from temporary hippocampal storage to longer-term cortical storage—a process known to be disrupted in schizophrenia.

The project directly addresses a critical gap in schizophrenia treatment by moving beyond conventional approaches that attempt to increase sleep spindles alone, which have failed to improve memory outcomes. By examining hippocampal replay mechanisms using clinically indicated invasive recordings, the research aims to establish new targets for cognitive remediation in schizophrenia, where cognitive deficits persist even after antipsychotic control of psychotic symptoms and remain the strongest predictor of functional impairment. This mentored award supports development of the research scientist's expertise in translational neuroscience and novel therapeutic approaches to improve cognition in serious mental illness.