The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
The grant's primary objective is to propel translational research aimed at deepening the understanding of the onset and progression of mood and psychotic disorders, such as perimenopausal depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, during the menopause transition. It seeks to identify potential targets for innovative treatment interventions through comprehending the neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms underpinning these disorders and their symptoms amid the menopause transition. It encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to explore aspects including classic depressive symptoms coupled with menopause symptoms (hot flashes, sleep disturbances), the impact of reproductive steroids on mood and behavior, diagnosis during menopausal stages, concurrent psychiatric and menopause symptoms, psychosocial factors in midlife, and differential diagnoses. The review process will prioritize proposals that offer a thorough examination of the neurobiology and mechanisms driving mood and psychosis symptoms, with a strong preference for hypothesis-driven projects.