Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a $827,879 Project Grant under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate ghrelin receptor and striosomal interactions in stress-induced decision-making. The award, obligated on March 25, 2026, with a completion date of December 31, 2030, supports basic neuroscience research examining how chronic stress exposure alters cost-benefit decision-making through disrupted neural circuits. The research employs optogenetic techniques and electrophysiological recordings to identify mechanistic relationships between ghrelin receptor activity in striatal patches (striosomes) and abnormal pursuit of high-cost/high-reward options in mouse models of chronic stress. This work directly addresses transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms common to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and related conditions.

The primary deliverables include characterization of striosomal projection neuron activity patterns, identification of critical stress exposure thresholds triggering altered decision-making behavior, and mechanistic insights into ghrelin receptor signaling within striatal circuits. The research utilizes naturalistic cost-benefit decision-making tasks and experimental manipulations to establish causal relationships between endocrine mechanisms and neural circuit dysfunction. These products will advance understanding of stress-induced neurobiological alterations underlying abnormal decision-making and contribute foundational knowledge to inform therapeutic development targeting ghrelin receptor pathways as potential interventions for stress-related psychiatric disorders.