Award
National Institute of Mental Health 4R00MH132772-03
Synaptic plasticity underlying sex differences in aggression reward
Recipient
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
Award Amount
$248,995.00
Ceiling
$248,995.00
Awarded
July 27, 2026
Identifier
4R00MH132772-03
Research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to study sex differences in aggression reward through synaptic plasticity mechanisms, aiming to inform mental health treatments.
Description
This project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in aggression reward, focusing on synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. It will use electrophysiological techniques, optogenetics, and fiber photometry to assess synaptic changes in male and female Syrian hamsters, hypothesizing that enhanced synaptic transmission drives aggression-related behavioral plasticity and that oxytocin mediates these effects differently by sex. The research seeks to develop sex-specific therapeutic strategies for psychiatric disorders related to aggression.