This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under CFDA program 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research, provides $696,329 to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) to conduct research on sub-second catecholamine dynamics underlying food reward in humans. The research aims to bridge the translational gap between studies in rodents and humans by leveraging innovations in detecting sub-second changes in dopamine and norepinephrine. Specific research objectives include measuring catecholamine dynamics from the amygdala during food-based learning tasks and tasks using emotion, food, and neutral words. This award supports the long-term goal of providing a framework to translate and extend mechanistic studies of food reward in rodents to improve understanding of the neurobiology of eating behavior and obesity in humans. The project period extends from March 1, 2025 to December 31, 2028.