# Novel Behavioral Intervention to Target Social Reward Sensitivity and Attachment

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $725,154

## Abstract

Social relationships are fundamental determinants of psychological health and well-being. Poor quality
relationships and social isolation heighten vulnerability to and exacerbate a myriad of negative mental health
outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicide), which create substantial costs to the individual and society.
Although the biobehavioral processes that support the formation of positive social relationships are well-
delineated, a fundamental gap exists in translating that knowledge to develop mechanism-informed
interventions for psychiatric conditions. The proposed project seeks to fill this gap by testing a neurally-
mediated pathway for enhancing social connections through an experimental medicine approach. We draw on
research implicating the positive valence system (PVS), a core dimension of the Research Domain Criteria
(RDoC) framework, as a fundamental mechanism that promotes social affiliation and attachment. Building on
our initial treatment development work, we will evaluate the effects of a novel psychosocial intervention – social
approach training – designed to up-regulate components of the PVS (social approach motivation and reward
responsiveness, or “social reward sensitivity”) in treatment-seeking individuals with anxiety or depression who
present with social functioning impairments. R61 phase: Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that social approach
training can up-regulate social reward sensitivity (intervention target) across neural, physiological, behavioral,
and self-report units of analysis in n=60 patients randomized to one of two treatment doses, or a no
intervention control condition. Aim 2 will investigate optimal dosing of social approach training to maximally
engage the target. Aim 3 will establish further psychometric support (e.g., test-retest reliability) for the
proposed measures of target engagement. R33 Phase: Pending initial demonstration that social approach
training modulates social reward sensitivity (R61-Aim 1), Aim 1 of the R33 phase seeks to replicate evidence of
target engagement by comparing participants randomized to receive the optimal dose of social approach
training (n=50) or to an active control condition (stress management training; n=50). Aim 2 will examine
whether changes in social reward sensitivity are associated with improvements in the frequency and strength
of social connections assessed through self-report, social network surveys, and observation of real-world
social behavior acquired through social media. Through this approach we will gain unprecedented ecological
validity to ascertain the impact of the intervention on real-world functioning, a high priority of the NIMH
Strategic Plan. We will also explore changes in mental health outcomes following treatment. By targeting social
approach mechanisms rather than disorder-bound symptoms, and linking changes in neural circuit function to
changes in real-world social connections, we will (1) deepen our understanding of the mechanisms that
su...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9795161
- **Project number:** 4R33MH113769-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles Taylor
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $725,154
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2017-08-05 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9795161

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9795161, Novel Behavioral Intervention to Target Social Reward Sensitivity and Attachment (4R33MH113769-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9795161. Licensed CC0.

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