New York, Sept. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) today announced it is awarding $10.4 million in Young Investigator Grants to 150 promising early career scientists who are conducting neurobiological and psychiatric research to identify causes, improve treatments, and develop methods of prevention for mental illnesses.
The 2024 Young Investigators are focused on a broad range of psychiatric illnesses that impact millions of people in the United States and around the world. More than half of the projects are relevant to the study or treatment of depression and schizophrenia. Addiction/substance-use disorders, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as the prevention of suicide are also the focus of many of the 2024 projects. Attention to these areas indicates the prevalence of these disorders in the population and the urgent need for new and improved treatments.
Reflecting the fact that many psychiatric illnesses begin to display symptoms in the years before adulthood, and that in many cases, biological factors that give rise to these symptoms have their roots in early life, before birth and/or in the childhood and adolescent years, BBRF has specific categories for Young Investigator projects that are pertinent to the early years of life – children and adolescence and prenatal brain development.
“BBRF Young Investigators represent a new generation of researchers who will pioneer breakthroughs in mental health research. They are at the cutting edge of progress in brain and psychiatric research,” said Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. “We are excited to be able to support the work of these young scientists who will apply powerful new technologies and insights to understanding, treating, and curing mental illness.”
The 2024 Young Investigator recipients were selected by the Foundation’s Scientific Council, comprised of 195 prominent scientists with expertise in every area of brain research. This year the Scientific Council reviewed more than 700 applications. Of the 150 award recipients, 74 percent of grantees are from the United States (111 grantees). Twenty-six percent of grantees come from 14 other countries (39 grantees): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
“BBRF Young Investigator grants fund groundbreaking research aimed at reducing suffering in people with mental illness,” said Dr. Judith Ford, President of the BBRF Scientific Council and Co-Chair of the Young Investigator Grant Selection Committee. “These early-career scientists are pushing the boundaries in basic and clinical research to establish new approaches to early prediction, prevention, and intervention, and to develop next-generation therapies that offer hope for those with brain and behavior illnesses.”
For detailed information about the Young Investigator Grant recipients and their projects, click HERE.
About Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awards research grants to develop improved treatments, cures, and methods of prevention for mental illness. These illnesses include addiction, ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia, as well as research on suicide prevention. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $461 million to fund more than 5,600 leading scientists around the world. 100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in research. BBRF operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants. BBRF is the producer of the Emmy® nominated public television series Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, which aims to remove the stigma of mental illness and demonstrate that with help, there is hope.
