Tuesday, December 16, 2025 12/16/2025

Direct Dopamine Recording From Humans Engaging Working Memory

Award Number: R01MH132635
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Direct Dopamine Recording From Humans Engaging Working Memory - PROJECT SUMMARY Dopaminergic signaling is proposed to be critical for gating items into working memory and for maintaining representational content over delays in the presence of distracting information. Working memory deficits due to dysregulated dopaminergic signaling are associated with a broad range of psychiatric illnesses. However, the precise role of dopamine in working memory has yet to be fully understood due to limits on our ability to measure it in humans. Recent advances by PI Montague’s research group allow for tracking neuromodulator release in epilepsy patients using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry augmented with machine learning (elastic net regression). Our team can now measure dopamine responses in awake humans with sub-second temporal resolution, allowing for precise characterization of phasic and tonic dopamine release in cortical areas that have been associated with cognitive processes that constitute working memory. This application merges this technique with measurement of working memory processes to test fundamental predictions about dopamine’s function in cognitive control. We will record dopamine release in the lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus during performance of a set of working memory tasks. Medication-resistant epilepsy patients will participate in the study during phase-II monitoring for seizure activity with surgically implanted electrodes. These electrodes will be implanted at Banner Hospital in the Phoenix metropolitan area (Co-I Bina). During recording, patients will complete Delay Match-to-Sample and Delayed Estimation Visual Working Memory tasks. Our research group (Co-I Brewer, Co-I Bae, and Co-I McClure) has used these tasks to characterize individual differences in working memory and to explore the neural basis of working memory for the past 15 years. The overall goal of this project is to collect and model direct dopamine recordings during stimulus presentation, distractor presentation, and delay periods of canonical working memory tasks to better characterize the role of phasic and tonic dopamine release in working memory.


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 = $666,404 )
2025	2025	VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY	300 TURNER ST NW	BLACKSBURG	VA	24060	MONTGOMERY	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	8/27/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$666,404
														Subtotal = $666,404

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $675,178 )
2024	2024	VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY	300 TURNER ST NW	BLACKSBURG	VA	24060	MONTGOMERY	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	7/17/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$675,178
														Subtotal = $675,178

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $694,153 )
2023	2023	VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY	300 TURNER ST NW	BLACKSBURG	VA	24060	MONTGOMERY	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	9/20/2023	NEW	$694,153
														Subtotal = $694,153

Grand Total All Awards = $2,035,735

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Direct Dopamine Recording From Humans Engaging Working Memory

Award Number: R01MH132635

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer