How reward sensitivity and the body clock relate to first bipolar episodes in teens
Official title: Integrated Reward-Circadian Rhythm Model of First Onset of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Adolescence
Funded at Temple Univ of the Commonwealth · NIH-11126831 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are tracking adolescents to learn whether strong reward reactions and disrupted sleep/circadian rhythms can predict a first bipolar episode.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $711,224 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH126911-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11126831 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents roughly 12–20 years old who have mood symptoms or a family history suggesting higher risk for bipolar spectrum disorders.
✕Less likely to help
People without adolescent-age mood symptoms or family risk, or adults outside the 12–20 age range, are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you're a teen or the parent of a teen at risk for bipolar disorder, this project follows adolescents over time to see how their responses to rewards and their daily sleep/activity rhythms change before any bipolar symptoms appear. The team measures brain activity linked to reward, behavioral tests and questionnaires of reward responsivity, and objective sleep and circadian measures such as actigraphy and sleep diaries, along with other biological and clinical data. Investigators will test whether chronically high or increasing reward sensitivity and ongoing social/circadian rhythm disruption, alone or together, signal higher risk for first onset of bipolar spectrum disorders. The aim is to find early warning patterns that could eventually guide prevention or early intervention for at-risk youth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal early warning signs that enable earlier prevention or targeted support for adolescents at risk for bipolar disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has linked reward sensitivity and circadian disruption separately to bipolar disorder, but testing an integrated reward–circadian model longitudinally in adolescents at high risk for first onset is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alloy, Lauren Bersh — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Alloy, Lauren Bersh
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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.