Promoting resilience and mechanisms underlying emotion and cardiovascular health as a function of adolescent social stress - this R15 project will investigate mechanisms of emotion, stress, and…

Northern Illinois University received a $380,000 Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028. This R15 award supports fundamental research investigating neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation, stress resilience, and cardiovascular health outcomes in the context of adolescent social stress. The project employs a translational rodent model using socially monogamous prairie voles to examine protective effects of social versus environmental intervention strategies for mitigating negative health consequences associated with social isolation and loneliness during adolescence.

The research deliverables include comprehensive physiological and behavioral assessments comparing two treatment interventions—resocialization (re-introduction to prior social partners) and environmental enrichment (access to physical, tactile, and sensory activities). Specific outputs encompass cardiovascular measurements, stress hormone quantification, behavioral task data evaluating depression, social behavior, cognition, and stress reactivity, as well as neurobiological characterization of central delta-FosB and neuropeptide immunoreactivity in hypothalamic regions. These findings are intended to elucidate mechanistic pathways underlying treatments that promote stress resilience and reduce long-term cardiovascular and mood disorder risk associated with adolescent social stress exposure.

Promoting resilience and mechanisms underlying emotion and cardiovascular health as a function of adolescent social stress - this R15 project will investigate mechanisms of emotion, stress, and health, with a specific focus on mechanisms underlying treatments for adolescent social stress. Social isolation and loneliness during adolescence significantly reduce quality of life and contribute to adulthood heart disease and mood disorders. We need a detailed understanding of neural mechanisms underlying protective cardiovascular and behavioral effects of treatments for social stress. This project will use a translational rodent model - the socially monogamous prairie vole - to compare neural mechanisms underlying the protective effects of a social VS. An environmental treatment strategy to promote stress resilience. The prairie vole is valuable for investigating treatments to protect against negative responses to stress. Prairie voles display several unique social behaviors similar to humans, including living in family groups, forming long-term social bonds, and exhibiting autonomic, behavioral, and neurobiological disruptions in response to social stressors. Following adolescent social isolation, we will investigate a resocialization treatment strategy involving RE-introduction to a previous animal, which will provide an opportunity for positive social interactions. Resocialization will be compared to environmental enrichment, involving access to physical, tactile, and sensory activities, which will promote healthy brain stimulation and stress-coping mechanisms. Specific aim 1 will include cardiovascular variables, repeated stress hormone measurements, and behavioral tasks of depression, social behavior, cognition, and stress reactivity to test the hypothesis that resocialization or environmental enrichment promote resilience to consequences of adolescent social isolation. Specific aim 2 will measure central delta-fosb and neuropeptide immunoreactivity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and other stress-relevant brain regions, to investigate the hypothesis that long-term alterations in cortical, limbic, and brainstem regions underlie the protective effects of resocialization and environmental enrichment. This project will integrate research with education for undergraduate students to promote student success, and will provide a foundation for developing feasible and accessible strategies to promote resilience to social stressors in humans.