Mapping real-world diversity and positive emotion to brain dynamics in anhedonia
Official title: Mapping links between real-world diversity, positive emotion, and neural dynamics in anhedonia
Funded at University of Miami Coral Gables · NIH-11314567 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study will explore how everyday experiences and brain activity relate to positive emotions in people with anhedonia, with the goal of identifying ways to boost positive mood in real life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Miami Coral Gables NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Coral Gables, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $620,377 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH133693-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314567 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults experiencing reduced positive affect and related affective symptoms, including depression or PTSD, who can participate in mobile tracking and brain imaging.
✕Less likely to help
People without significant anhedonia or those unable to undergo MRI scanning may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project looks at how the variety of places people visit (experiential diversity) connects with how much positive emotion they feel and how their brain networks, especially the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, support this. Using mobile tracking and resting-state brain scans, researchers will examine patterns that link daily experiences to brain reward circuits. The team aims to translate these findings into potential real-world strategies to increase positive affect for patients with stress-related mood disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new, everyday-life strategies to boost positive mood for people with anhedonia and related conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has linked experiential diversity to positive affect in humans, with emerging evidence of hippocampus–nucleus accumbens circuitry involvement.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Miami Coral Gables
Coral Gables, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heller, Aaron S — University of Miami Coral Gables
- Study coordinator: Heller, Aaron S
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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.