The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Dr. Puja Parekh $746,999 through the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), which helps early-career scientists transition into independent research roles by funding innovative studies that advance mental health science, in support of her research on the Corticostriatal and Corticoinsular Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Stress Effects on Effort-based Reward Processing.

Dr. Parekh’s research centers around how specific neural pathways in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) impact the brain’s capability of weighing the effort and expenses, which is a significant process interrupted in mental health conditions such as depression and schizophrenia. Using advanced techniques such as in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging, optogenetics, and single-cell RNA sequencing, this research will examine how stress alters these circuits and why some individuals show greater strength than others.

The primary objective of this research project is to reveal how ACC circuits shape reward-seeking behavior under varying effort demands. Results from this research could lead to new targets for treating psychiatric disorders, along with improved understanding of motivated behavior, new molecular pathways for intervention, and broader insights into mental health. This research will also contribute to the field of neuroscience.