RFU Neuroscientist Receives $2.3 Million Grant to Study COVID-19's Impact on Adolescent Brains

North Chicago, Ill. – Nicole Ferrara, PhD, a neuroscientist at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU), has secured a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding will support research into how social disruptions, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, impact the development of adolescent brains and social behavior.

Dr. Ferrara's project, titled "Social Experience Guides BMA Mediated Social Development," aims to understand how significant disruptions in social interaction shape the neural pathways that govern social behaviors. Her work is part of RFU's Brain Science Institute and its Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders.

The research will specifically examine the basomedial amygdala (BMA), a region of the brain that appears to be uniquely susceptible to social disruption during adolescence and early adulthood. This susceptibility may lead to negative mental health outcomes, including increased rates of anxiety, depression, and social dysregulation, which have been linked to the social isolation experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Findings from this study are expected to provide crucial insights for developing therapeutic interventions. These interventions could help mitigate maladaptive changes and potentially prevent the onset of mental health disorders, which frequently emerge during adolescence and early adulthood.