# Neural sensitivity to social feedback following adversity: Implications for adolescent mental health

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $74,284

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Exposure to early childhood adversity is associated with a range of negative health outcomes including
increased risk of psychopathology across the lifespan. In particular, those who are exposed to environmental
threat (e.g., abuse from caregivers, community violence) are at elevated risk for mental health disorders,
particularly depression, that become more prevalent as youth transition to adolescence. Theory and research
have tried to account for the variability in outcomes of youth exposed to adversity by identifying mechanisms
linking early threat exposure to later functioning. Prominent contemporary models of adversity suggest that
exposure to threatening early environments sensitizes neural and psychological systems involved in emotion
processing and stress responsivity in ways that promote adaptation while also increasing risk for later
emotional hyper-reactivity and psychopathology. However, the majority of research to date has focused on
links between sensitivity to emotional cues and risk for psychopathology, neglecting the ways that sensitivity to
the environment – particularly the social environment, which becomes more salient during adolescence – may
support adaptation among threat-exposed adolescents. Further, research to date has examined concurrent
associations between neural activation and psychopathology, neglecting the role of integration across brain
networks and associations with trajectories of development over time. The proposed research will provide
training in adversity research, neural network modeling, and longitudinal statistical analysis while examining
the effect of early threat exposure on neural sensitivity to social-emotional information and subsequent
psychosocial outcomes in adolescents. Two main aims guide this research: (1) exploring whether childhood
threat exposure predicts heightened neural and behavioral sensitivity to negative and positive social cues; and
(2) exploring how this heightened sensitivity interacts with peer experiences to predict changes in depression
and social-emotional wellbeing over time. These aims will be addressed in a large longitudinal study of
adolescents (expected n = 275) who will complete self-report measures and a social feedback functional
magnetic resonance imaging task. Resources that will support this research include access to this rich sample,
facilities for neuroimaging and behavioral assessment, and a mentorship team with expertise in adversity
science and developmental neuroscience. Findings from this project will enrich theory regarding how youth
develop following threat exposure and identify strengths that can be leveraged to prevent psychopathology and
support wellbeing among adversity-exposed adolescents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10885931
- **Project number:** 5F32MH132259-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Megan M Davis
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $74,284
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10885931

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10885931, Neural sensitivity to social feedback following adversity: Implications for adolescent mental health (5F32MH132259-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10885931. Licensed CC0.

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