This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), will provide $618,863 to the University of Washington from April 1, 2025 to January 31, 2030 to investigate the neural dynamics of fear circuits in ecological rodent models of risk and trauma.
The research aims to: 1) Test the hypothesis that the amygdala functions as a pivotal relay, processing biological threat information and transmitting fear signals to corticolimbic structures to guide risky, goal-directed decisions; and 2) Characterize changes in midbrain-corticolimbic mechanisms resulting from a singular life-and-death event that cause generalized, nonassociative fear responses. This comprehensive approach seeks to advance foundational knowledge on fear mechanisms and integrate dynamic agent-induced trauma perspectives relevant to interpersonal threat conditions, with the potential to advance treatments for trauma disorders.
Generated 3/25/25, 2:44 AM