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Prefrontal circuits in processing social versus non-social rewards

Award Number: R01MH130755
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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Prefrontal circuits in processing social versus non-social rewards - PROJECT SUMMARY Most mammals, including humans, navigate a life motivated and shaped by a drive to seek rewards such as food, water, and social interactions. Social stimuli can act as positive reinforcers, driving animals to pursue and interact with other members of their own species (e.g., people regularly hanging out with friends or a mouse repeatedly visiting to investigate a novel conspecific). Significantly, deficits in motivation to seek socially rewarding stimuli and deficits in social reward processing are associated with several disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. While the neural substrates underlying non-social reward-related behaviors (e.g., food rewards) have been studied extensively, similar studies have been more difficult for social rewards because of the inherent complexity of social interactions. It is unclear if there are differences in how the brain processes social versus non-social rewards. Additionally, although intranasal oxytocin delivery alleviates social motivation deficits in human subjects with autism, how oxytocin modulates neural circuits mediating social reward-related behaviors remains poorly understood. Therefore, addressing these questions will have immense consequences for human health. We hope to address these gaps in knowledge by combining cellular resolution imaging techniques and optogenetics with a novel operant behavioral paradigm to thoroughly and systematically map how social and non-social rewards are represented in the medial prefrontal cortex (AIM 1a). We will determine if the mPFC reward representations are modulated by the internal state of the animal. (AIM 1b). We will evaluate how oxytocin inputs modulate social and non-social reward representations in the mPFC by imaging the activity of mPFC neurons while silencing oxytocin inputs to the mPFC (AIM 2). Finally, we will determine if social reward representations such as proximity of social reward, valence, and reward prediction error are functionally clustered in mPFC projection populations (AIM 3). In summary, this research will help us identify differences and similarities in how the brain encodes social rewards versus non-social rewards and how the animal's internal state modulates these representations. Additionally, given the promising therapeutic possibility of using intranasal oxytocin administration to children and adults with autism, elucidation of the role of the oxytocin on mPFC function will be a valuable addition to the autism research community.


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 = $379,162 )
2025	2025	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	3	9/23/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$56,875
2025	2025	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	1/8/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$322,287
														Subtotal = $379,162

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $380,261 )
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	1/30/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$342,235
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	8/14/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$38,026
														Subtotal = $380,261

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $381,260 )
2023	2023	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	4/3/2023	NEW	$381,260
														Subtotal = $381,260

Grand Total All Awards = $1,140,683

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Prefrontal circuits in processing social versus non-social rewards

Award Number: R01MH130755

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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