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Irritability as a signal of perinatal depression: Identifying novel clinical, endocrine, and neurobehavioral signatures of risk in pregnancy.

Award Number: K23MH140295
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2031

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Irritability as a signal of perinatal depression: Identifying novel clinical, endocrine, and neurobehavioral signatures of risk in pregnancy. - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Perinatal depression (PND) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and impacts over 500 million pregnant and postpartum women in the United States each year. Despite the profound urgency of the maternal mental health crisis, only 6-8% of cases receive adequate treatment. When left untreated in pregnancy, PND can have wide-ranging deleterious impacts: prolonging suffering in the mother and conferring risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes onto the developing fetus. Detecting early, prenatal signals of PND is therefore essential to facilitate prevention. Recent experimental work in non-pregnant women suggests that irritability, a pervasive yet underrecognized affective symptom, is a plausible early indicator of PND that can be triggered by the hormonal changes of pregnancy. However, the relation between endogenous hormone fluctuations and mood, including irritability, has been understudied in pregnancy. The proposed K23 project will thus employ a prospective, longitudinal study design to identify early emerging clinical and neurobehavioral signatures of PND during pregnancy. We will test study aims in a sample of 78 pregnant, euthymic individuals. Risk for PND will be stratified. Participants will be recruited early in pregnancy and followed to 6 weeks postpartum. Urinary metabolites of estradiol (E1G) and mood symptoms will be assessed for 30 consecutive days during the 2nd trimester. Neural and behavioral response to threat and frustrative non-reward, two key dimensions of irritability, will be assessed during a series of EEG tasks, administered at the end of the hormone collection period. Our central hypothesis is that fluctuations in estradiol during pregnancy trigger irritability for some but not all women, and that irritability is an early signal of PND. To accomplish the objectives of this application, we propose the following Specific Aims: 1) to test the extent to which E1G-irritability sensitivity strength (i.e., the degree to which day-to-day E1G fluctuations relate to changes in irritable mood) in the 2nd trimester predicts PND outcomes; 2) to determine the extent to which dysfunctional threat processing characterizes prenatal E1G-irritability sensitivity strength and predicts PND outcomes; and 3) to determine the extent to which dysfunctional reward processing characterizes prenatal E1G-irritability sensitivity strength and predicts PND outcomes. Career Goal: My long- term career goal is to become an independently funded clinical researcher, carrying out a program of research that bridges the gap between mechanistic science and clinical interventions for perinatal mental health. Career Development: This application will provide me with the necessary training and mentorship to achieve this career objective. The proposed research complements my previous research experience and knowledge with new technical, professional, and scientific skills in reproductive endocrinology, longitudinal statistical analyses, and EEG research methods, to develop a unique and competitive research niche.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $191,478 )
2026	2026	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	13001 E 17TH PL STE F428	AURORA	CO	80045	ADAMS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	9/2/2026	NEW	$191,478
														Subtotal = $191,478

Grand Total All Awards = $191,478

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Irritability as a signal of perinatal depression: Identifying novel clinical, endocrine, and neurobehavioral signatures of risk in pregnancy.

Award Number: K23MH140295

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2031

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