Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded University of Texas at Austin a $439,250 Project Grant on July 15, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate the causal role of the amygdala in episodic emotional memory processing. The research employs transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS), a cutting-edge neuromodulation technique, to directly modulate amygdala activity in healthy adult volunteers while measuring behavioral and neuroimaging outcomes through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This two-year project addresses a critical gap in human neuroscience by providing causal evidence of the amygdala's role in emotional memory enhancement, moving beyond the correlative findings that have dominated prior human research. The findings will inform translational neuroscience approaches to treating psychiatric conditions characterized by abnormalities in emotional learning and memory, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The project utilizes a rigorous within-subjects, sham-controlled, double-blinded crossover research design to test whether TFUS-induced modulation of amygdala function affects explicit memory processes using a validated emotional memory paradigm. This basic research effort represents one of the first studies to apply direct neuromodulation techniques to causally examine amygdala function in healthy human populations, addressing the limited evidence base for amygdala-targeted neurostimulation protocols currently under investigation as potential clinical interventions for PTSD and related mental health conditions. The award is scheduled for completion by July 14, 2028.