Understanding how mental stress affects blood flow in women with heart issues.
Official title: Mental Stress Reactivity in Women with Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11009063 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how mental stress affects women who have heart symptoms but don’t have blocked arteries, specifically focusing on a condition called coronary microvascular dysfunction, and it aims to better understand how stress impacts heart health to help improve treatment options for these women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $653,115 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL157311-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11009063 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are women experiencing symptoms of heart issues without obstructive coronary artery disease, particularly those with a high psychosocial burden.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with obstructive coronary artery disease or those not experiencing heart-related symptoms may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how mental stress impacts women who experience heart-related symptoms but do not have obstructive coronary artery disease. It focuses on a condition called coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), which affects blood flow in the heart's small vessels. The study will use advanced imaging techniques to measure blood flow and assess how stress influences heart function in these women. By exploring the relationship between stress and heart health, the research aims to improve understanding and treatment options for CMD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better treatment strategies for women suffering from heart symptoms related to stress and CMD.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has indicated that understanding the effects of stress on heart function can lead to significant advancements in treatment, suggesting this approach has potential for success.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mehta, Puja Kiran — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Mehta, Puja Kiran
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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LU-1001: a potential treatment for coronary tiny vessels dysfunction
A small NIH grant is studying LU-1001 to help people with coronary microvascular dysfunction by better diagnosing and potentially treating problems in the heart’s tiny blood vessels.
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This NIH grant will use advanced imaging to study how obesity, coronary microvascular dysfunction, and HFpEF create different cardiometabolic heart disease profiles, with a focus on women.
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Quantitative Heart Scan to Find Coronary Microvascular Problems in Long COVID Patients
A heart MRI study will look for tiny blood vessel problems in people who have long-lasting COVID symptoms and chest pain.
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Cardiac MRI to understand coronary microvascular dysfunction
A heart-imaging project uses AI-enhanced MRI to better diagnose and monitor chest pain from small-vessel heart problems in patients without blocked arteries.
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How mental stress affects small coronary blood vessels in women
This project looks at whether women with small-vessel heart disease have stronger stress-driven nerve responses that narrow heart microvessels and cause symptoms.
-
Understanding how mental stress affects heart function in women with coronary microvascular dysfunction
This study is looking at how stress affects the heart in women with coronary microvascular dysfunction, hoping to learn more about how stress impacts heart health and find better ways to help manage their symptoms.
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.