# Identifying neurobiological vulnerabilities in reward processing associated withsuicidal behavior in Veterans.

> **NIH VA IK1** · JAMES J PETERS VA  MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · —

## Abstract

This Career Development Award (CDA-1) for VA psychiatrists (RFP #CX-20-020) will provide training in both the
clinical care and neuroimaging research of Veterans at high-risk for suicidal behavior. This proposal will gather
concurrent behavioral and fMRI data investigating dysfunction of midbrain dopaminergic circuitry manifested
during abnormal reward processing in Veterans, examined across levels of suicide attempt (SA) history and
lethality of intent.
Over the past two decades, the rate of suicide in Veterans has risen out of proportion with the general population,
mandating suicide prevention as a top research priority for the Veterans’ Health Administration. Our ability to
develop effective, neurobiological-based interventions for suicidal behavior is hindered by the lack of a clearly
defined clinical pathway to completed suicide. While most cases of suicide are comorbid with a diagnosable
mental illness, there is no one psychiatric disorder that is uniquely associated with elevated risk. Against a
transdiagnostic background, identifying unique psychopathologies related to constructs of reward processing in
Veteran’s with a history of SA will allow for the development of treatments targeting suicidal behavior rather than
comorbid disorders
This proposal will investigate in male and female OEF/OIF/OND Veterans (n=60) the relationship of reward
processing to neural activity in midbrain nuclei as it relates to suicidal behaviors. To this end, our study population
will include Veterans with and without history of suicide attempt, inclusive of a variety of other comorbidities.
From this realistic, transdiagnostic sample of Veterans, we will examine how abnormalities in the neural
substrates of reward processing relate to history of SA.
Impulsive preference for an immediate reward is associated with a higher incidence of suicide attempt. However,
high lethality intent often involves significant planning suggesting an alternative reward-related pathology in this
high-risk subgroup. While there is often an acute disconnect between the severity of the preceding suicidal intent
and the medical lethality of the attempt, the chronic risk of completed suicide is greatly increased in individuals
with a history of high lethality intent. Delineating the unique psychopathology associated with the level of intent
will be helpful in developing targeted interventions in high-risk subgroups. This proposal will investigate neural
activity in dopaminergic midbrain reward circuits associated with trait pathological reward processing across
levels of suicide attempt history and lethality of suicidal intent in Veterans.
Identifying unique neurobiological underpinnings–such as abnormal reward processing and
midbrain/dopaminergic dysfunction–that predispose a Veteran to a suicide attempt will allow us to develop novel
interventions. The goal of this line of research is to define clinically useful neuroimaging biomarkers of suicide
vulnerability to be used in future stu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10260719
- **Project number:** 1IK1CX002348-01
- **Recipient organization:** JAMES J PETERS VA  MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Klein
- **Activity code:** IK1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2022-04-04

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10260719

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10260719, Identifying neurobiological vulnerabilities in reward processing associated withsuicidal behavior in Veterans. (1IK1CX002348-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10260719. Licensed CC0.

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