Using social connection to reduce suicidal thoughts in adults 50–80
Target Engagement During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial
A remotely delivered therapy that increases rewarding social activities to help adults 50–80 with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310176 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be randomly assigned to nine weeks of a remote program called Engage & Connect or to an active control called Symptom Review and Psychoeducation. The therapy focuses on increasing engagement in rewarding social activities to improve how your brain responds to social rewards. The team will measure brain activity with imaging and test social reward behavior using a validated task to see if the therapy changes brain and behavioral responses. About 128 adults with major depressive disorder and suicidal thoughts will take part across the trial.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 50–80 with major depressive disorder and current suicidal ideation who can participate in remote therapy and travel for brain imaging are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 50, those without suicidal thoughts or major depression, or those unable to use remote sessions or attend in-person brain scans are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce suicidal thinking in mid- and late-life by improving social connection and brain responses to social reward.
How similar studies have performed: Some psychosocial treatments have helped late-life depression, but directly targeting social reward brain circuits with this specific approach and imaging measures is relatively new and not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Solomonov, Nili — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Solomonov, Nili
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 below.