Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded a $457,795 Project Grant to The Leland Stanford Junior University under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to support a two-year research initiative spanning March 15, 2026, through March 14, 2028. This grant funds the development of a genetic strategy to identify neural circuits regulating social attachment in prairie voles. The research employs the FOSTRAP (Fos-based Serial TaggIng of Active Population) approach—a molecular genetic technique originally developed in mice—to genetically tag neurons activated during pair bonding behavior. The project generates genetically modified prairie voles containing a small molecule-inducible Cre recombinase inserted into the prairie vole FOS locus and a Cre-dependent fluorescent reporter, enabling researchers to isolate and functionally characterize neural circuits underlying social attachment independent of previously studied vasopressin and oxytocin signaling pathways.

This research addresses a critical knowledge gap in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms controlling social bond formation and maintenance in species exhibiting adult pair bonding behaviors. Unlike traditional genetic model organisms that do not display adult social attachment, prairie voles provide an ideal biological system for applying powerful molecular genetic approaches to dissect the neural circuits governing this complex social behavior. The project's outcomes will advance fundamental neuroscience understanding of social attachment mechanisms, with potential implications for mental health research and treatment approaches related to social dysfunction.