Understanding causes of depression, anxiety, and related conditions
Official title: An Integrative Approach to the Etiology of Internalizing Disorders in the Lifelines Cohort
Funded at Virginia Commonwealth University · NIH-11514443 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using long-term health, family, genetic, and gut microbiome data from adults, this project looks for what leads to depression, anxiety, and conditions like chronic fatigue.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | December 10, 2021 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $303,442 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH125902-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11514443 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults with a history of depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or irritable bowel syndrome, especially those willing to share medical records, family history, and biological samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without these conditions, or those who are not part of the Lifelines cohort or cannot provide biosamples or family information, are unlikely to be able to participate or see direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses data from Lifelines, a large group of over 167,000 adults in the North-Eastern Netherlands who have repeated health assessments every five years. Researchers combine medical histories, family relationships, genetics, blood tests, and gut microbiome samples to build models of risk for five internalizing disorders (major depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social phobia) and three related functional disorders (chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome). By comparing patterns across conditions and within families, the team aims to identify which causes are shared and which are specific to each condition. The analysis uses statistical, genetic, and multilevel modeling to separate environmental, familial, and molecular influences.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify causes and shared risk factors that lead to better prevention and more targeted treatments for depression, anxiety, and related disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Previous large cohort studies combining genetics and environmental data have found risk factors for mental and functional disorders, but using this full multilevel, family-based, microbiome-inclusive approach across multiple disorders is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kendler, Kenneth Seedman — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Kendler, Kenneth Seedman
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.