Federal Grant Award Summary

Northwestern University's Sponsored Research Division received a $400,000 project grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), effective May 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031. The award funds research to advance understanding of seizure networks in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a highly effective treatment for severe treatment-refractory depression. The project will investigate how therapeutic seizures induced during ECT progress through different brain regions and networks, with particular focus on understudied seizure-network nodes such as the piriform cortex, substantia nigra, and cerebellar nuclei that are not adequately captured by standard neuroimaging techniques.

The research aims to develop a comprehensive, precise understanding of seizure-network connectivity in both therapeutic seizures during ECT and pathological seizures in epilepsy. By clarifying the relationship between seizure characteristics, brain network involvement, and antidepressant outcomes, the project will generate neurobiological insights and data products that advance mechanistic understanding of ECT's therapeutic effects. These research outputs will contribute to the NIMH mission of transforming understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, potentially informing optimization of ECT protocols and identification of biomarkers for treatment response.