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Chronic Stress Effects on Aversion Encoding by D1- and D2- Medium Spiny Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens

Award Number: F31MH138123
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2027

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Chronic Stress Effects on Aversion Encoding by D1- and D2- Medium Spiny Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens - Project Summary Prolonged stressful experiences are unavoidable and often unpredictable aspects of life; however, they are also widely recognized as a major determinant of risk and severity of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression. The range of symptoms across these disorders is diverse, however people who suffer from depression are more sensitive to negative outcomes or perceived failures and report heightened emotional responses to painful and non-painful stimuli. Since stress-induced changes in aversion sensitivity may contribute significantly to the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders, understanding mechanisms that underlie such processes and how they are changed during depressive states is a critical step towards developing effective treatments. The core subdivision of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is well positioned to process both positive and negative experiences and translate motivation into behavior. Yet, how stress alters the function of this nucleus remains understudied. Importantly, research from our lab has found that neurons in this region uniquely encode positive and negative stimuli. Of the neurons in this region, there are two subpopulations that appear to play opposing roles in this process. Our central hypothesis is that chronic stress causes enhanced, subtype-specific neuronal response to negative stimuli and that this causes heightened aversion sensitivity. Aim 1 will characterize how chronic stress influences the encoding of aversive stimuli and escape behavior. Prior work indicates that NAc neuronal subpopulations are changed by chronic stress, but it is unknown if these are involved in stress-induced changes to aversion sensitivity. Therefore, these studies will use in vivo fiber photometry to measure how stress affects the encoding of negative events by subtypes of NAc neurons. Aim 2 will test how chronic stress produces electrophysiological changes in these neurons. Research from our lab suggests that aversive experiences decrease NAc dopamine and that this corresponds to drug taking and escape behavior. Ex vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology will be used to test how chronic stress influences how NAc neuron populations respond to dopamine. This study will also test how the strength of input to each neuronal subtype may change in a region-specific manner. I have great confidence in the guidance and training that I will receive from Dr. Hearing and Dr. Wheeler to conduct these experiments throughout this fellowship. Dr. Hearing’s expertise in ex vivo electrophysiology, Dr. Wheeler’s expertise in in vivo fiber photometry, and both of their experience with testing the effects of chronic stress will provide the research training needed to obtain a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship. They will also support my professional and intellectual growth to achieve my ultimate career goal of obtaining a faculty position based on the teacher-scholar model. I aim to develop a productive independent research program at an academic institution where I can also teach and mentor skilled scientists.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $33,658 )
2025	2025	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	313 N 13TH ST	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	1	6/11/2025	NEW	$0
2025	2025	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	313 N 13TH ST	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	5/14/2025	NEW	$33,094
2025	2025	MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY	313 N 13TH ST	MILWAUKEE	WI	53233	MILWAUKEE	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	002	1	9/9/2025	NEW	$564
														Subtotal = $33,658

Grand Total All Awards = $33,658

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Chronic Stress Effects on Aversion Encoding by D1- and D2- Medium Spiny Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens

Award Number: F31MH138123

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2027

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