MSU Clinical Psychologists Awarded NIH Grant to Study Psychosis in Midlife

March 16, 2022

Dr. Kelly Klump, Dr. Kristen Culbert, and Dr. Katy Thakkar were awarded a $2.5 million NIH grant to examine why women are at a higher risk for midlife psychosis than men. Dr. Alex Burt, Dr. Deborah Kashy, and Dr. Cheryl Sisk are collaborators on this project. 

Women show a heightened risk for psychosis in midlife that is not observed in men. The menopausal transition, and its corresponding changes in estrogen and progesterone, may drive these differences in risk, yet data exploring these effects are lacking.

Isolating perimenopause as a critical risk period for psychosis and elucidating ovarian hormone mechanisms will substanatially increase understanding of disease susceptibility and help identify novel targets for prevention and intervention efforts aimed at improving women’s health.