Notice Number: NOT-MH-17-019

Key Dates
Release Date: March 29, 2017

Issued by
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform applicants that, effective immediately, NIMH will be participating in PA-17-089, Exploratory Analyses of Existing Cohorts, Data Sets and Stored Biospecimens to Address Clinical Aging Research Questions (R21)." The FOA is amended with the following information.

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
NIMH has interest in projects consistent with the stated Research Objectives of these Program Announcements that address important questions related to mental disorder and/or suicidality in late life, or to the trajectories of development and recurrence of such disorders across the adult lifespan. This includes studies focusing on component features or dimensions of psychopathology that cut across a variety of mental disorders (e.g., rumination, anhedonia, cognitive biases, affective dysregulation), or on issues relating to the treatment or prevention of mental disorder in aging adults. Priority will be given to analyses with clear potential to help sharpen a mechanistic understanding of aging-related mental disorder or of interventions used with such disorders, and to inform more targeted future studies involving new data collection. Priority will also be given to analyses that utilize or combine existing information sources in innovative ways, and that leverage data and biospecimen repositories that NIH has supported and helped make available for broader use.

NIMH has particular interest in secondary analyses addressing the following issues:

• Aging-related trajectories of psychiatric symptoms and of risk/protective factors for mental disorders and suicidality across the adult lifespan, and their interrelationship with trajectories of change in theoretically related neurobiological, psychological, and/or lifestyle factors
• The role of mental disorders (or component aspects) as risk or contributory factors for the development of cognitive and functional decline with advancing age, or for accelerated biological aging
• Analyses that can advance efforts to develop and refine biomarkers and/or behavioral markers useful for improving the detection, tracking or intervention targeting of mental disorders with aging or among older adults, including analyses of neuroimaging data designed to improve specification of brain circuits associated with key aspects of psychopathology
• The relationship of cumulative life stress and associated neurobiological changes (e.g., allostatic load) in vulnerability to or resilience against mental disorder over the adult lifespan, or as shown at particular ages
• Interaction between mental disorders and physical illnesses over the lifespan, particularly with respect to mechanisms of comorbidity and the impact of mental illness on longevity, functional outcomes, and quality of life in old age
• Long-term effects of psychotropic medications (e.g., antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety agents) for individuals aging with chronic or recurrent mental disorders

Section VII. Agency Contact

Scientific/Research Contact
George Niederehe, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-9123
Email: [email protected]

Financial/Grants Management Contacts
Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email: [email protected]

All other aspects of this FOA remain unchanged.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

George Niederehe, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health
Telephone: 301-443-9123
Email: [email protected]