Sunday, July 6, 2025 7/6/2025

Neural markers of avoidant decision-making in anxiety disorders

Award Number: R01MH120448
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/11/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2024

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Neural markers of avoidant decision-making in anxiety disorders - ABSTRACT Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States and affect more women than men. Chronic avoidance of external threats and negative thoughts/feelings is a prominent diagnostic feature. Yet, we lack psychiatric or biological assays to measure or predict functional outcomes and guide treatments for reducing avoidance. We thus need etiological models grounded in theory and human research to clarify neural markers of vulnerability to avoidance in men and women and aid development of tailored, sex-specific interventions. This application draws on affective and decision neuroscience to address how activation associated with avoidant decision-making differs between anxious individuals and those with low anxiety. We couple a behavioral model of real-world social approach-avoidance (AP-AV) decision-making with fMRI to measure signaling of social reward-threat value differences and outcomes. Our model suggests the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) signal value differences between approach and avoidance actions, while the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) signals value of reward and threat outcomes. Anterior insula (AI) signals of threat and ventral striatum (VS) signals of reward also interplay. Preliminary data show that individuals with high experiential avoidance base choices to approach/avoid on distinctively altered signaling of reward-threat value differences and outcomes. Such biased signaling could explain excessive avoidance or suggest potential mechanisms. We propose two neuroimaging experiments designed to determine whether altered signaling reflects a stable neuropathology in anxiety disorders or whether threat/reward manipulations common to behavioral treatments can normalize signaling and increase approach behavior. For each we will recruit healthy (25M/25F) and clinically anxious (25M/25F) 18-35 yr-old adults matched on age, sex, ethnicity, SES, and IQ (total N=200). We aim to determine the extent to which anxiety modulates signaling and (1) decreased threat increases approach behavior and normalizes signaling and connectivity; (2) increased reward increases approach behavior and normalizes signaling and connectivity; and (3) sex modulates signaling of reward-threat value differences and outcomes. Completion of our aims will yield a detailed understanding of neural mechanisms of avoidant decision-making in anxiety, responsiveness to reward-threat value differences, and sex differences.


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 = $0 )
2025	2021	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	11/8/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	6/15/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $312,046 )
2021	2021	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE 3RD FL	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	6/15/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$312,046
														Subtotal = $312,046

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $356,328 )
2020	2020	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE 3RD FL	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	6/11/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$356,328
2020	2019	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE 3RD FL	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	11/4/2019	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $356,328

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $355,174 )
2019	2019	GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.	58 EDGEWOOD AVE NE 3RD FL	ATLANTA	GA	30303	FULTON	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	9/11/2019	NEW	$355,174
														Subtotal = $355,174

Grand Total All Awards = $1,023,548

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Neural markers of avoidant decision-making in anxiety disorders

Award Number: R01MH120448

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/11/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2024

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer