The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), through its Office of Research Administration, was awarded a $211,248 project grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242). The 5-year grant, which began on March 1, 2025, will fund research to elucidate the neural mechanisms governing fear and anxiety responses within the hippocampal-amygdala circuit in humans. The project aims to 1) investigate the acquisition, extinction, and renewal of fear responses using virtual reality experiments, 2) explore whether targeted electrical stimulation of the amygdala can facilitate recovery from maladaptive fear responses, and 3) examine potential differences in outcomes based on individuals' baseline anxiety levels. This award will allow the principal investigator to develop expertise in mobile intracranial electrophysiology, targeted brain stimulation, and the implementation of immersive virtual reality experiments in human neuroscience research, with the goal of becoming an independent physician-scientist investigating the mechanisms of anxiety disorders.
Generated 3/18/25, 4:50 AM