To help craft the original research agenda, create promising strategies with an accelerated timeline, and to foster new approaches and capabilities for the Depression Grand Challenge in 2014, funds were secured from various campus organizations including the David Geffen School of Medicine to solicit a selection of demonstration projects.

There were two parallel processes created: one focused on basic and translational science and a second focused on human or clinical projects. More than 100 investigators, representing more than 20 departments, participated in the demonstration project solicitation.  Nine of these investigators participated in proposals submitted under both tracks. The basic/translational track received 40 letters of intent (LOI); the UCLA Neuroscience Committee reviewed these LOI and requested 10 full proposals; these 10 proposals then underwent an extramural review. The clinical track required a full proposal as the first submission; it received 23 full proposals, which an internal steering committee reviewed; the committee selected five proposals to proceed to extramural review, with an additional four proposals selected to advance to extramural review in concert with the proposed cores to be developed. Ultimately four basic/translational track proposals were funded, three human/clinical track proposals were funded and there cores were funded.

Funded Basic/Translational Demonstration Projects

• Dissecting astrocyte roles in neural circuits relevant to depressive disorders
  Investigators: Bal Khakh and Michael Sofroniew
• Genetic studies of neuromodulation in drosophila
  Investigators: David Krantz, Mark Frye, Sunil Mehta, Felix Schweizer, Ya-Hong Xie, Jonathon Javitch, Andy Ewing
• Mechanisms underlying action and stress-induced reorganization of corticostriatal subcircuits
  Investigators: William Yang, Kathrin Plath, Giovanni Coppola
• Reproductive Depression and the Effects of Novel Antidepressants
  Investigator: Istvan Mody

Funded Human/Clinical Projects

• A framework for large scale screening and investigation of mood disorder risk in the UCLA community
  Investigators: Carrie Bearden, Bob Bilder, Michael Gitlin, David Miklowitz, Connie Hammen, Joan Asarnow
• Shared mechanisms of migraine and depression
  Investigator: Andy Charles
• Biomarkers of fast acting treatment interventions in major depressive disorder
  Investigators: Eliza Congdon, Katherine Narr, Michael Irwin, Randall Espinoza, Giovanni Coppola

Funded Cores

• Imaging core (Narr)
• Assessment core (Bilder)
• Behavioral core (Fanselow)