WOMEN’S MOOD DISORDERS
$1,808,390 awarded to research since 1985
Women’s Mood Disorders encompass perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and menstrual-related mood disorders. These disorders include Depression during Pregnancy, Postpartum Depression (PPD), Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), Perimenopausal Depression. In 2018 alone, 12.8% of U.S. mothers reported experiencing postpartum depression. That’s 1 in 8 mothers. But, that statistic does not take into account undiagnosed PPD, which is estimated to put the number closer to 20% of moms, or 1 in 5.
Active Research
Suicide Prevention Among Perinatal Psychiatric Inpatients | Dr. Parisa Kaliush | $59,999
Suicide prevention among perinatal psychiatric inpatients: A randomized clinical trial 2025 Award: $59,999 Suicide is a leading cause of postpartum maternal deaths, yet no suicide prevention programs exist that are designed specifically for pregnant [...]
Neurobiological mechanisms of susceptibility to estradiol fluctuation in female adolescents at risk of suicide: An experimental approach | Dr. Elizabeth Andersen | $200,000
Neurobiological mechanisms of susceptibility to estradiol fluctuation in female adolescents at risk of suicide: An experimental approach 2025 Award: $200,000 Female adolescents are 2-3 times more likely than their male peers to experience severe [...]
Examining the effect of estradiol on mood symptoms during perimenopause through immune gene expression | Bondy | $44,745
Examining the effect of estradiol on mood symptoms during perimenopause through immune gene expression 2024 Award: $44,745 Depression can increase during the transition to menopause (“perimenopause”), and hormonal treatments can help alleviate depressive symptoms. [...]
Increasing Access to Evidence-Based Therapy for Perinatal Women: A Novel App-Based Approach | Schiller | $64,840
Increasing Access to Evidence-Based Therapy for Perinatal Women: A Novel App-Based Approach 2024 Award: $64,840 Perinatal depression affects 1.4M Americans each year and is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, yet only [...]
Developing a pre-clinical model to study the interaction of female pubertal hormones and early-life stress in vulnerability to anhedonia | Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera | $44,577
Developing a pre-clinical model to study the interaction of female pubertal hormones and early-life stress in vulnerability to anhedonia 2024 Award: $44,577 This preclinical study aims to explore the interaction between chronic stress and [...]
Do APOE4+ women stand to benefit from menopausal hormone therapy? Piloting an experimental therapeutics approach to accelerate progress in dementia prevention research | Walsh | $44,875
Do APOE4+ women stand to benefit from menopausal hormone therapy? Piloting an experimental therapeutics approach to accelerate progress in dementia prevention research. 2023 Award: $44,875 Menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not currently recommended [...]
The Other Postpartum: Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following Stillbirth and Neonatal Death | Riddle | $45,791
The Other Postpartum: Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following Stillbirth and Neonatal Death 2023 Award: $45,791 Each year, 1% of all live birth will be stillborn or result in neonatal death. The women and [...]
Mechanisms of Brexanolone Therapeutics in Post-Partum Depression: Expanded follow-up study | Patterson | $100,000
Mechanisms of Brexanolone Therapeutics in Post-Partum Depression: Expanded follow-up study 2023 Award: $100,000 Brexanolone is the first FDA approved medication for postpartum depression. This medication has a different mechanism of action than typical antidepressants [...]
Probing the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying sex-specific testosterone-mood relationships during puberty: A randomized controlled trial using a smartphone-based training program | Andersen | $45,080
Probing the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying sex-specific testosterone-mood relationships during puberty: A randomized controlled trial using a smartphone-based training program 2023 Award: $45,080 Female and male adolescents may respond differently to pubertal changes in testosterone. [...]
Hormone Flux and the Emergence of Irritability During Pregnancy: Investigating the Trajectory and Neurobiological Correlates of an Underrecognized Mood State | Swales | $40,000
Hormone Flux and the Emergence of Irritability During Pregnancy: Investigating the Trajectory and Neurobiological Correlates of an Underrecognized Mood State2022 Award: $40,000Irritability is common in perinatal depression, however we do not know when irritability emerges [...]
The Comorbidity of Depression and Cardiovascular Disease in Midlife Women: Investigating novel biological pathways of risk | Nathan | $39,617
The Comorbidity of Depression and Cardiovascular Disease in Midlife Women: Investigating novel biological pathways of risk 2021 Award: $39,617 The risk for developing depression and cardiovascular disease increases significantly in midlife women and this [...]
Mechanisms of Brexanolone Therapeutics in Postpartum Depression | Morrow | $48,070
Mechanisms of Brexanolone Therapeutics in Postpartum Depression 2020 Award: $48,070 Depression is associated with abnormal activation of inflammatory immune signals in the blood and the brain. We recently discovered that the endogenous steroid allopregnanolone [...]
Microbiome and Methylation (M&M): A Source of Information for Precision Medicine | Kimmel | $42,000
Microbiome and Methylation (M&M): A Source of Information for Precision Medicine 2020 Award: $42,000 Despite greater recognition of the need to treat Perinatal Depression and Anxiety that can affect one in five women, current [...]