Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded $151,761.00 to the University of Florida under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) on May 15, 2026, for a two-year project period concluding May 14, 2028. The project develops advanced computational indices based on resting electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to establish objective, quantitative biomarkers of psychiatric illness severity, burden, and diagnosis in obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders. The research deliverables include: (1) validated electrocortical markers derived from state-of-the-art EEG data transformations that discriminate between diagnostic categories and predict transdiagnostic variables such as symptom severity and comorbidity; (2) established reliability and internal consistency measures for EEG-derived spectral shape and alpha-frequency indices; and (3) application of Bayesian hierarchical modeling to enhance data reduction and measurement reliability of the EEG variables.

The project aims to produce mechanistically informative clinical assessment tools that could transform diagnostic practice by providing continuous, objective indices of cortical dysfunction applicable across the obsessive-compulsive and anxiety spectrum. Research is conducted at the University of Florida's Division of Sponsored Research in Gainesville, Florida, and generates peer-reviewed publications and computational methodologies advancing NIMH's mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through rigorous basic and clinical research.