Project Grant P50MH139573

The National Institute of Mental Health awarded the Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene, Inc. (operating as New York State Psychiatric Institute) $3.295 million on August 1, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate neural components of stress response and suicide behavior, with emphasis on ketamine's preventive impact.

The funded research will examine how naturalistic stress interacts with risk factors to facilitate the transition from suicidal ideation to behavior in high-risk depressed patients, focusing on the glutamatergic system and cognitive factors. The work employs a stress-diathesis model of suicidal behavior and will study a large group of higher-risk depressed suicide attempters relative to depressed non-attempters and healthy volunteers using converging approaches including ecological momentary assessment to measure suicidal ideation and mood symptoms in the context of daily stress. The research will test ketamine at low versus standard dose to assess its impact on responses to daily life stress, with the goal of identifying potential biomarkers and treatable targets for suicide risk.

The award funds a five-year project period running through July 31, 2031, with place of performance in New York, New York. This is a project grant, a standard NIH assistance type supporting specified projects not in excess of five years. The research is classified as assistance funding and supports basic and clinical research aligned with NIMH's mission to transform understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through prevention, recovery, and cure.