Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded The University of Manitoba a Project Grant totaling $191,910 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) for the period July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. This research initiative investigates state- and trait-like perceptual predictive learning abnormalities in schizophrenia through an innovative electroencephalography (EEG) paradigm designed to characterize neural mechanisms underlying core illness features. The project will employ advanced computational and neurobiological approaches aligned with NIMH strategic priorities to examine how aberrant Bayesian predictive learning—the brain's process of integrating sensory information to form beliefs about the world—contributes to symptoms such as auditory hallucinations and cognitive impairment.

The grant supports a longitudinal study enrolling 90 adults with schizophrenia (60 with active auditory hallucinations at baseline) who will complete EEG assessments of auditory predictive learning at three timepoints over six months, alongside 30 non-psychiatric comparison participants assessed at baseline. The deliverables include empirical characterization of EEG predictive learning indices, assessment of their stability over the follow-up period, and analysis of associations between specific neural abnormalities and particular illness features. This research addresses a critical gap in understanding schizophrenia mechanisms, with potential implications for developing more effective interventions for this debilitating psychiatric condition.