Thursday, July 3, 2025 7/3/2025

Target Engagement During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial

Award Number: R01MH133953
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/21/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Target Engagement During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Suicide rates are high in late adulthood, peaking in midlife among women and late life among men. Social disconnection also peaks in late life and increases risks of suicide, persistent suicidality, and poor response to psychosocial interventions. Our proposal responds to RFA-MH-22-135, outlining the critical need to identify the mechanisms mediating the relationship between social disconnection and late-life suicidality and develop efficacious interventions to target these mechanisms. The proposed study leverages methodological and conceptual innovations, developed by our team, to investigate target engagement of the Positive Valence System (PVS) during a novel social reward psychotherapy for mid- and late-life suicidality. We designed Engage & Connect, a remotely delivered psychotherapy that targets social disconnection by increasing engagement in rewarding social activities. Engage & Connect aims to alter disturbances of the PVS that may underlie late-life suicidality. In this study, 128 adults aged 50-80 with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation will be randomized to 9 weeks of Engage & Connect or Symptom Review and Psychoeducation (SRP) active control condition. We will measure PVS functions on brain and behavioral levels, through resting state functional connectivity of the PVS and behavioral changes in social reward responsivity using our novel validated STAR task (Social Task for Assessment of Reward). We will employ a cutting-edge “precision imaging” approach to estimate the functional brain map of each individual and track the longitudinal effects of treatment on PVS circuitry. Our rigorous methodological approach will allow us to test, at the individual level, the brain-based and behavioral mechanisms underlying response to psychotherapy that targets social disconnection. Identification of individual patients’ biological and behavioral profiles, linked with treatment response, can guide future psychotherapy personalization and increase its efficacy and reach to vulnerable older adults at risk of suicide.


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 = $590,466 )
2025	2025	WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY	575 LEXINGTON AVE FL 9	NEW YORK	NY	10022	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	3/31/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$590,466
														Subtotal = $590,466

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $708,242 )
2024	2024	WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY	575 LEXINGTON AVE FL 9	NEW YORK	NY	10022	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	4/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$708,242
														Subtotal = $708,242

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $719,376 )
2023	2023	WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY	1300 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	7/17/2023	NEW	$719,376
														Subtotal = $719,376

Grand Total All Awards = $2,018,084

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Target Engagement During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial

Award Number: R01MH133953

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/21/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer