Understanding how aging affects emotion regulation in depression
Official title: Emotion Regulation in Depression and the Aging Brain
Funded at Mclean Hospital · NIH-10674284 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how older adults understand and manage their feelings, especially when dealing with depression, to see how these skills change as we age and how things like gender and mental health conditions play a role.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mclean Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Belmont, United States) |
| Project start | August 22, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2022 |
| Award (this year) | $486,858 |
| NIH project number | 7R01MH116033-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-10674284 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are older adults aged 55 years and older who experience symptoms of depression.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are younger than 55 years or do not have any depressive symptoms may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how older adults process emotions and regulate them, particularly in the context of depression. It examines three key aspects of emotion processing skills: attention to emotions, basic perception of emotions, and the strategies used to manage emotions. The study aims to understand how these skills change with age and how they are influenced by factors such as sex and neuropsychiatric conditions. By exploring these dynamics, the research seeks to uncover the impact of depression on emotional processing in older adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved emotional regulation strategies for older adults suffering from depression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promising results in understanding emotion processing in aging populations, suggesting that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Mclean Hospital
Belmont, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weisenbach, Sara L. — Mclean Hospital
- Study coordinator: Weisenbach, Sara L.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Sleep to calm the brain’s emotion network and ease depression and anxiety
A Stanford-led study tests a proven sleep program to help adults with insomnia and mood symptoms feel better by potentially stabilizing the brain networks involved in emotion.
-
Using sleep therapy to help mood and anxiety
This program uses a proven cognitive-behavioral sleep treatment to help adults with insomnia who also have elevated depression or anxiety improve their sleep and emotional control.
-
How emotions are managed in daily life for people with depression
This study is looking at how people who have experienced depression handle their emotions in daily life, and it aims to find out how they can adjust their coping strategies to fit different situations, all while using some cool technology to see how their brains work during this process.
-
Understanding how depression affects older adults through anxiety and inflammation
This study is looking at how depression, anxiety, and inflammation affect older adults' feelings of joy and motivation, with the goal of finding better ways to detect and treat depression in this age group.
-
How aging affects emotion regulation in mood disorders
This study is looking at how getting older affects the way people with mood disorders, like bipolar disorder and depression, manage their emotions, and it hopes to find ways to improve emotional health for older adults.
-
Investigating how depression may speed up brain aging using PET imaging.
This study is looking at how major depression might speed up aging in the brain over 25 years for adults between 40 and 65, using special brain scans to see if there are early signs of dementia related to depression.
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.