Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded UCLA a Project Grant totaling $118,404.00 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. This K99/R00 award supports research to identify dynamic functional network biomarkers associated with emotion regulation (ER) flexibility in internalizing disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The research employs dynamic co-activation pattern analysis on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a large-scale longitudinal dataset to examine transitions between major brain networks (salience, default mode, and central executive networks) and their associations with ER flexibility—the capacity to flexibly deploy varied emotion regulation strategies according to contextual demands.

The primary deliverable is the identification and validation of neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotion regulation flexibility deficits in internalizing disorder etiology. Through this research, UCLA will generate peer-reviewed publications, analytical methodologies, and mechanistic insights into brain network dynamics that contribute to mental health disorders affecting approximately 20% of Americans. These research products are intended to advance understanding of transdiagnostic biomarkers and inform the development of targeted clinical interventions for internalizing disorders, which have experienced a 30% increase in prevalence among young adults over the past five years.