How teens' reward choices relate to suicidal behavior
Reward Valuation and Suicidal Behavior in High-Risk Adolescents
This project looks at whether teens in psychiatric care who prefer immediate rewards and show specific brain responses are more likely to act on suicidal thoughts in the six months after leaving treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11284063 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or your teen are receiving acute psychiatric treatment for self-injury, the researchers will measure how you make choices between immediate and delayed rewards using computer tasks and brain imaging. They will collect behavioral and neural data while you are in care and then follow you for six months after discharge to track suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The team will compare many adolescents to find patterns that might signal higher short-term suicide risk. Results may point to new targets for helping teens make different choices when they are under stress.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescents (roughly early-to-late teens) currently receiving acute psychiatric treatment for self-injurious thoughts or behaviors are the ideal candidates for this project.
Not a fit: This project is unlikely to directly benefit adults, teens without recent self-injury or psychiatric admission, or people who cannot attend visits at the study site.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify which teens are at highest risk after discharge and lead to interventions targeting reward decision-making to prevent suicidal behavior.
How similar studies have performed: Prior cross-sectional studies have linked impulsive choices and altered brain responses to suicidality, but using these measures prospectively to predict short-term attempts is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, UNITED STATES
- Vanderbilt University — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kujawa, Autumn J — Vanderbilt University
- Study coordinator: Kujawa, Autumn J
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 below.