Utilizing Invasive Recording and Stimulating Opportunities in Humans to Advance Neural Circuitry Understanding of Mental Health Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 290

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 290

This NIH funding opportunity (PAR-25-290) supports R01 grant applications that use invasive neural recording in humans to answer clearly defined, mental health-relevant scientific questions. The main idea is to take advantage of situations where electrodes are already implanted in the human brain (for example, in clinical contexts) to measure neural activity with very high spatial and temporal precision. Because invasive recordings can capture fast neural dynamics and localized circuit activity far better than noninvasive tools, the program is aimed at generating more direct, circuit-level explanations for complex mental health phenomena such as mood changes, emotional processing, cognition, and behavior. A central motivation is that there is still a major gap in what is known about how specific human neural circuits function and malfunction in mental health disorders, and invasive recordings can provide uniquely informative data to close that gap.

A distinctive feature of the NOFO is its emphasis on both recording and, when appropriate, stimulation using the same implanted electrodes. Stimulation is framed as a way to move beyond correlation and test causality: researchers can perturb a circuit and observe how network activity and mental-health-relevant functions shift in response. In other words, the opportunity is geared toward studies that can map and interrogate circuit dynamics in humans, linking measurable neural signals to clinically meaningful constructs (for instance, dimensions of affect, cognitive control, threat processing, reward learning, or symptom-relevant behaviors). Projects are expected to be tightly matched to what invasive methods are especially good at answering, rather than simply repeating questions that could be addressed adequately with EEG, fMRI, or behavioral testing alone.

The NOFO specifically calls for studies with high translational potential, meaning the work should be positioned to inform how mental health disorders are understood in humans at the circuitry level and to create knowledge that could realistically influence future diagnostics, biomarkers, or mechanistic frameworks. At the same time, it draws a clear boundary around scope: developing brand-new technologies, devices, or therapies is not the goal here. The focus is on using existing or clinically justified invasive recording and stimulation opportunities to generate fundamental, mechanistic insights about neural circuit function relevant to mental health disorders.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant mechanism in the health area (CFDA 93.242) using the R01 funding instrument, and clinical trials are optional under this announcement. The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicant organizations, reflecting NIH’s broad eligibility standards. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city or township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also explicitly includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments).

In addition, the NOFO highlights several categories of organizations as “other eligible applicants,” signaling an intent to encourage participation from diverse institutions and communities. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). The listing suggests NIH is open to a broad ecosystem of partnerships, including collaborations that may be necessary to access clinical populations and invasive recording contexts.

Key timeline details in the provided listing include an original closing date of January 7, 2028, and a creation date of November 22, 2024. No award ceiling or expected number of awards is specified in the excerpt provided. Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted call for mechanistic human neuroscience studies that leverage rare but powerful invasive recording and stimulation opportunities to directly probe the neural circuitry underlying mental health disorders, with the aim of producing rigorous, clinically meaningful circuit knowledge rather than building new devices or delivering new treatments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Utilizing Invasive Recording and Stimulating Opportunities in Humans to Advance Neural Circuitry Understanding of Mental Health Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 25 290

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: