Project Grant R21MH141701
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded The Johns Hopkins University $384,245 on August 1, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to develop DNA probes and modified extracellular vesicles as therapeutic tools to reverse stress-induced epigenetic changes in the brain. The project addresses the role of chronic stress and cortisol exposure in causing epigenetic modifications that disrupt genes critical for brain function and neurodevelopment, contributing to...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene, Inc. (operating through its New York State Psychiatric Institute division) $818,498 on August 1, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate how individual differences in hippocampal gene expression modify susceptibility and resilience to depression following early adversity in adolescents. The research will determine whether innate variation in expression of adversity-,...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded $452,386 to President and Fellows of Harvard College on September 1, 2026, to study the plasticity of synaptic cotransmission in the mouse lateral habenula under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242). The research investigates how changes in the valence of learned associations induce synaptic plasticity in the lateral habenula—a brain structure implicated in mood disorders—and subsequently alter downstream dopamine signaling....
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded the University of Virginia $234,660 on September 28, 2025, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate epigenetic biomarkers, negative valence symptomatology, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction as mechanisms underlying risk for postpartum depression. The research examines two estrogen-responsive epigenetic biomarkers at established risk loci for postpartum depression and their relationship...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded the University of California, Los Angeles $433,125 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) on June 15, 2026, to examine cell-free DNA as a biomarker of electroconvulsive therapy in treatment-resistant depression. The research investigates the dynamics of circulating cell-free DNA in patients with treatment-resistant depression undergoing FDA-approved electroconvulsive therapy, using infrastructure from an ongoing NIMH-funded...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded $466,175 to Massachusetts General Hospital on August 11, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to map neuroimmune circuitry implicated in major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. The recipient will conduct multimodal neuroimaging and anatomical research to elucidate circuits connecting limbic regions with the nucleus tractus solitarii in the brainstem, a neural pathway through which inflammatory...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded The McLean Hospital Corporation $179,096 on June 18, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms underlying negative retrieval bias in major depressive disorder. The recipient will conduct research to distinguish between two competing mechanisms that may explain how depression disrupts emotional memory: increased familiarity (depression strengthens evidence for all negative...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded The General Hospital Corporation (Massachusetts General Hospital) $790,560 under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) on April 1, 2026. The award funds development of advanced artificial intelligence models to predict differential antidepressant treatment responses by integrating electronic health records and genomic data. Aim 1 involves building a large language model-based, human-in-the-loop active learning framework to...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded The Regents of the University of Colorado $730,338 on May 1, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to identify genetically distinguishable subgroups within major depressive disorder. The recipient will conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of major depressive disorder subtypes, including sex-stratified, atypical, postpartum, and severe forms, leveraging the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Major Depressive...
- The National Institute of Mental Health awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University $192,192 on April 15, 2026, to develop an artificial intelligence foundation model for functional neuroimaging that predicts treatment response, stratifies patients, and identifies biotypes in major depressive disorder under CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants). The award funds three specific aims. Aim 1 applies pooled functional MRI data from individuals with major depressive disorder to fine-tune a...
The National Institute of Mental Health awarded the President and Fellows of Harvard College, through its Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health division, $418,000 on August 10, 2026, to identify epigenetic biomarkers that predict the risk and progression of depression among young adolescents under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242). The recipient will investigate how DNA methylation and microRNA expression mediate the effects of early life stress on adolescent internalizing problems—including anxiety, withdrawal, and depression—using advanced computational techniques including longitudinal mediation analysis and machine learning. The research utilizes data from two long-term population-based cohorts: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and Generation R. Specific aims include investigating dynamic changes in DNA methylation on the risk of internalizing problems with focus on individual-level variability and the role of early life stress, and identifying links between early life stress, microRNA expression, and depression outcomes. Work is performed in Boston, Massachusetts. The period of performance runs from August 10, 2026, through August 9, 2028. The assistance type is a Project Grant.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $418.0k | 8/12/26 |