Understanding brain markers of PTSD, depression, and anxiety across large imaging datasets
Official title: Understanding Heterogeneity Across PTSD, MDD and Anxiety By Leveraging Large-scale Multimodal Neuroimaging Datasets
Funded at University of Texas Arlington · NIH-11376509 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large study will look at brain scans from people with PTSD, depression, and anxiety to find brain patterns that are linked to these conditions and to see how they relate to symptoms and treatment outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Arlington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Arlington, United States) |
| Project start | July 21, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $638,574 |
| NIH project number | 5U01MH138425-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376509 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with PTSD, major depressive disorder, or anxiety disorders who have imaging data available or can be recruited for imaging studies.
✕Less likely to help
People without PTSD, MDD, or anxiety disorders or those unable to undergo MRI may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses big clinical and brain-imaging data from diverse populations to find neural biomarkers that explain why PTSD, depression, and anxiety often occur together. It will apply both a top-down framework (RDoC) and bottom-up data-driven methods to identify distinct and shared brain-based biotypes. By analyzing structural MRI and resting-state fMRI from four global datasets, researchers aim to improve understanding of how these disorders differ and overlap. The goal is to move toward personalized medicine that can guide more precise prevention and treatment strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatments based on brain biomarkers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown meaningful brain-imaging biomarkers for psychiatric conditions, though this study emphasizes cross-disorder biotypes and explainable AI.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Arlington
Arlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhu, Xi — University of Texas Arlington
- Study coordinator: Zhu, Xi
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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.