Monday, June 30, 2025 6/30/2025

Dissecting the role of long range prefrontal circuits in early-life stress induced susceptibility

Award Number: K01MH117445
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2023

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Dissecting the role of long range prefrontal circuits in early-life stress induced susceptibility - My career goal is to become an expert on the circuit level mechanisms of neural transmission underlying developmental stress and individual differences in stress response and sensitivity. I plan to lead a research lab studying the neurophysiological mechanisms of early-life stress (ELS) and the emergence of individual differences in adult stress response. ELS creates long-term risk to depression and anxiety disorders, particularly after facing stressful events during adulthood. However, little is known about how ELS produces sustained changes at the neural circuitry level that increase sensitivity to stress later in life. This kind of detailed circuit dissection cannot be performed in humans, thus by using a recently established two-hit model of early-life and adult stress in mice in which stress during a specific postnatal window increases the likelihood of adulthood stress to induce depressive-like behaviors. With this K01 grant and under the mentorship of Dr. Rene Hen at RFMH and Columbia University, I will test the role of long-range prefrontal circuits in the ELS-induced susceptibility to adult stress. I will combine an established two-hit mouse model of stress with advanced methods such as multi-site electrophysiological recordings and intersectional approaches for pathway specific chemogenetic manipulations. These studies represent a number of firsts in the developmental/systems neuroscience field: 1) the first to test the role of some of the long-range prefrontal cortex associated circuits (prefrontal-accumbens, amygdala, ventral hippocampus) activity and communication in stress susceptibility; 2) the first to dissect neural circuit activity and communication underlying the ELS-induced changes in adult stress response; 3) the first to investigate the impact of ELS in stress-susceptibility and underlying neural circuits in females; 4) the first to combine developmental stress with simultaneous multi-site recordings and intersectional approaches for pathway specific manipulations. These studies represent a significant career change and research redirection for me. This K01 award will afford me the mentorship and additional training that will prepare me to achieve my career goals and establish an independent research program geared towards investigating the neural circuits of which ELS leads to lifelong susceptibility to depression and psychiatric disorders.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	4	5/14/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $56,663 )
2023	2023	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	4	8/18/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$56,663
2023	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	4	8/17/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $56,663

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $181,926 )
2022	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE INC	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	4	7/21/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$181,926
														Subtotal = $181,926

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $182,379 )
2021	2021	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	8/2/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$182,379
														Subtotal = $182,379

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $182,828 )
2020	2020	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	7/8/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$182,828
														Subtotal = $182,828

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $183,276 )
2019	2019	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC.	1051 RIVERSIDE DR	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	7/22/2019	NEW	$183,276
														Subtotal = $183,276

Grand Total All Awards = $787,072

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Dissecting the role of long range prefrontal circuits in early-life stress induced susceptibility

Award Number: K01MH117445

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2023

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer