Manish Jha
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, TX·Neuroscience·Early-career
Irritability is common in depression but has been studied far less than other symptoms. It appears in 40–50% of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).
- Fields
Neuroscience
Medicine & Clinical Research
Psychology
- Topics
irritability
major depressive disorder
depression
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2027
What they work on
- Identify patterns of resting-state functional connectivity linked to irritability, using 7 Tesla fMRI in 30 healthy adults and 60 adults with major depressive disorder.
- Measure brain responses to a frustrative nonreward task, which models frustration when an expected reward is missed, using 7T fMRI, and relate them to irritability scores.
- Compare changes in resting-state brain connectivity after two weeks of intravenous ketamine versus midazolam in a double-blind randomized trial in adults with MDD.
- Test whether ketamine-related changes in brain responses during the frustrative nonreward task track improvements in irritability.
More about the research
It is linked to poorer quality of life, a more chronic illness and more frequent thoughts of suicide. Little is known about the brain circuits behind irritability, and that gap makes it hard to design treatments that target it. This project aims to map those circuits. It will also test whether a drug-related improvement in irritability comes with measurable changes in brain circuit function.
Why it matters
Many people suffer from irritability, and no treatments are designed specifically for it. Identifying the brain circuits involved could guide targeted therapies for people with depression. The findings may also help people with other conditions where irritability is a burden, such as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Emily Allen
University of Minnesota, MN·Neuroscience
Acquire ultra-high-resolution (~0.35 mm³) 7T MRI anatomical scans of human auditory cortex. Use them to create data-driven maps that match the cortex's underlying cell-layer architecture, rather than relying on the variable Heschl's gyrus landmarks.
Desmond Oathes
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Neuroscience
Establish that TMS targeted with resting-state fMRI connectivity modulates the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), a deep mood-related region, using interleaved TMS/fMRI to record brain responses to stimulation.
Fabiano Nery
University of Cincinnati, OH·Medicine & Clinical Research
Measure how glutamate levels in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex change after 8 weeks of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and/or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in youth aged 15–24 with mild depression, using proton MR spectroscopy.
The school
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: 40 labs on PI Pages, $869M a year on research, 86 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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