Investigating how estradiol affects brain responses to rewards in women experiencing menopause-related mood disorders.
Official title: Examining the Effects of Estradiol on Neural and Molecular Response to Rewards in Perimenopausal-Onset Anhedonia and Psychosis
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11001915 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how hormonal changes during menopause affect mood issues like feeling less pleasure and experiencing psychosis, and it's for women going through perimenopause to help find better ways to treat these feelings.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $621,572 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH128238-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11001915 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are women experiencing perimenopausal symptoms, particularly those with anhedonia and psychosis.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not experiencing perimenopausal symptoms or those with other unrelated mood disorders may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on understanding how hormonal changes during menopause influence mood disorders, specifically anhedonia and psychosis. By using advanced imaging techniques like PET and fMRI, the study aims to explore the relationship between brain activity related to rewards and the severity of depressive symptoms in women. Participants will be women experiencing perimenopausal symptoms, allowing researchers to identify biological markers that could predict treatment responses and improve outcomes for those affected by these disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better-targeted treatments for women suffering from mood disorders during menopause.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using imaging techniques to study brain responses in mood disorders, suggesting that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
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Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dichter, Gabriel S — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Dichter, Gabriel S
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How estrogen (estradiol) affects brain reward signals in women whose loss of pleasure or psychotic symptoms started around menopause
This project looks at whether estradiol changes how the brain responds to rewards in women who developed loss of pleasure (anhedonia) or psychotic symptoms during the menopause transition.
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Understanding why people lose pleasure from social interactions after a first psychotic episode
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This study looks at how childhood trauma might change how the brain works, especially in a part called the hippocampus, and how this could lead to feelings of not enjoying things, which can happen in people at risk of developing psychosis, with the hope of finding ways to help them feel better before serious symptoms a
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Exploring how social reward learning affects enjoyment in social interactions for those experiencing early psychosis
This study is looking at how people who have just had their first episode of psychosis learn from social experiences and why some find it hard to enjoy social interactions, with the hope of finding better ways to help them connect with others.
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Psychosis in diverse settings across the world
This project studies how psychotic disorders show up and respond to treatment in adults with diverse backgrounds, including populations in Africa, the Caribbean, and other Global South settings.
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Psychosis in Diverse Settings: Understanding Symptoms and Treatment Across Global South
A human-facing study will look at how psychotic disorders present and respond to treatment in adults from Africa, the Caribbean, and other Global South settings, using genetic and clinical data.
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.