# Characterizing constructs of motivation and the midbrain dopaminergic system in depression with ultra-high field MRI

> **NIH NIH K01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $128,514

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 This research project aims to characterize the broad cognitive construct of motivation in
healthy individuals and patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to examine
underlying dopaminergic network connectivity stemming from the ventral tegmental area
(VTA) using ultra-high field 7-Tesla MRI. Motivational deficits represent a core feature of
MDD and are associated with the debilitating symptom of anhedonia. An established
measure of motivation, the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT), which maps
onto the reward valuation construct of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework,
does not capture internally-generated motivation, known as volition in classic psychology
models. Therefore the dimensional construct of internally-generated motivation has not
yet been empirically explored in MDD. Neurally, motivation for rewards, a subjective
measure of volition and anhedonia have each been separately linked to VTA projections
to nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, and insula. However, VTA circuitry
has not been fully examined in relation to motivation constructs in MDD, partly due to the
limited feasibility of discerning VTA with 3-Tesla MRI. We therefore aim to address these
scientific gaps in our understanding of the construct of motivation and VTA circuitry in
MDD. We will employ a novel objective measure of internally-generated motivation, an
established measure of external motivation (EEfRT) and a validated ultra-high field 7-
Tesla MRI protocol for imaging VTA circuitry in patients with MDD and healthy
individuals. This combination of novel and established cognitive measures, and high-
resolution MRI will allow precise insight into the neurocognitive mechanisms of MDD.
 Accompanying career development training plans will fine-tune skills in neuroimaging
and cognitive neuroscience and facilitate new skills in clinical research methods. With
diverse expert mentorship, specific training goals include: 1) Development of skills in
clinical diagnostics and phenotyping for translational patient-oriented research; 2)
Refinement of existing skills in multi-modal ultra-high field MRI; 3) Refinement of skills in
cognitive and computational neuropsychiatry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9967115
- **Project number:** 5K01MH120433-02
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Laurel Sophia Morris
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $128,514
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9967115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9967115, Characterizing constructs of motivation and the midbrain dopaminergic system in depression with ultra-high field MRI (5K01MH120433-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9967115. Licensed CC0.

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