Understanding anxiety in preadolescent girls through brain and sleep studies
Official title: A translational approach for identifying factors and mechanisms underlying pathological anxiety in preadolescent girls
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11319777 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to explore why some preadolescent girls develop persistent anxiety by studying brain circuits and sleep patterns in kids and a female primate model.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | June 21, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,551,607 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1MH132671-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11319777 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Preadolescent girls with persistent anxiety or high-risk sleep-related symptoms.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy preadolescent girls or those without anxiety symptoms may not directly benefit from the findings.
What this research studies
Researchers will combine brain imaging and sleep measurements to see how anxiety relates to neural circuits involved in threat processing in preadolescent girls. They will use a translational approach, linking findings from a nonhuman primate model to human participants to better understand how sleep affects learning and emotion regulation in anxious youth. The study aims to map how daytime worries and sleep problems fit together in the development of anxiety disorders during the transition to adolescence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform earlier identification and targeted interventions for anxious girls, potentially reducing later risk for depression and stress-related problems.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests links between sleep, brain function, and anxiety, but translational studies in preadolescent girls are still emerging.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kalin, Ned H — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Kalin, Ned H
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Doula support to improve mood and anxiety health for rural mothers
A rural-focused program tests whether birth doulas can boost confidence, support, and maternal health for new mothers with mood and anxiety concerns.
-
Understanding how heavy drinking and anxiety relate in emerging adults
This grant studies how heavy alcohol use and anxiety symptoms interact in young adults (ages 18–34) and what biological stress markers might reveal about that relationship.
-
Molecular and brain circuits linked to anxiety disorders
A researcher is studying a specific brain circuit to understand what drives anxiety and how it could be treated for people with anxiety disorders.
-
Expressive Writing to Help Sexual Minority Veterans with Depression and Anxiety
A brief writing program to help sexual minority veterans feel less depression and anxiety.
-
Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy for Veterans with Social Anxiety and PTSD Symptoms
A clinical trial tests whether a flexible brain-behavior therapy helps veterans with social anxiety and PTSD symptoms feel better and engage more in daily life.
-
How parents' emotions shape young children's anxiety
This project explores how parents' moment-by-moment emotions and bodily signals shape anxiety in children from infancy through age 11.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.