Post Date/ Solicitation Issue Date
Closing Response Date
Project Title
Assessment of Environmental and Behavioral Rhythms on Youth Mood, Behavior, and Cognition
Contracting Office
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Contact Points
NAICS Code Number
541715
The NIMH Family Study is focused on mood disorders and its chief goals are to identify their diagnostic thresholds, subtypes, and boundaries with other disorders in order to identify the genetic and environmental risk factors for these conditions. The major research questions focus on the specificity of familial transmission of the mood disorder spectrum (i.e., symptoms, symptom clusters, subtypes) and the role of comorbidity with anxiety disorders and migraine in defining subtypes of mood disorders. Biologic factors underlying the major components of these disorders are studied to identify the core components of these conditions and familial endophenotypes that breed true in families, thereby more closely indexing the expression of underlying genes.
Light exposure is a modifiable environmental exposure that has been associated with mental health, cognition, and behavior, mediated in part through its impact on circadian function. This award will include consultation to include gold standard melatonin rhythms assessments that are considered key to understanding human circadian physiology. In addition, novel biomarker approaches are now available to identify potential mediators such as circadian phase, and its inclusion in the Rhythms & Blues Study will provide important biological insights into mediators of the physiological effects of light on cognition, behavior, and mood. Successful biomarker implementation will also be an essential proof of principle for scalability of future objective circadian phenotyping in larger-scale studies. Light exposure prior to the Rhythms & Blues Study at the NIH Clinical Center will be assessed with light sensors, also used in the Healthy Brain Network Youth Component, and which have been integrated in the protocols in close consultation with Dr. Vetter. Dr. Vetter will continue to provide leadership and guidance to the research teams across all study sites with regards to light device set-up, administration, and processing, ensuring quality light exposure assessment. To contextualize environmental light exposure assessments, the team will continue to adapt current Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) as necessary and will thus be included in this award.
Dr. Vetter will also provide leadership and oversight for research teams across study sites to guide data processing, both for existing and to-be-collected environmental and behavioral rhythm data. Specifically, she will support the development of coding and processing procedures for existing Healthy Brain Network actigraphy data, in close collaboration with Dr. Merikangas team and her consultants.
Light exposure is a modifiable environmental exposure that has been associated with mental health, cognition, and behavior, mediated in part through its impact on circadian function. This award will include consultation to include gold standard melatonin rhythms assessments that are considered key to understanding human circadian physiology. In addition, novel biomarker approaches are now available to identify potential mediators such as circadian phase, and its inclusion in the Rhythms & Blues Study will provide important biological insights into mediators of the physiological effects of light on cognition, behavior, and mood. Successful biomarker implementation will also be an essential proof of principle for scalability of future objective circadian phenotyping in larger-scale studies. Light exposure prior to the Rhythms & Blues Study at the NIH Clinical Center will be assessed with light sensors, also used in the Healthy Brain Network Youth Component, and which have been integrated in the protocols in close consultation with Dr. Vetter. Dr. Vetter will continue to provide leadership and guidance to the research teams across all study sites with regards to light device set-up, administration, and processing, ensuring quality light exposure assessment. To contextualize environmental light exposure assessments, the team will continue to adapt current Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs) as necessary and will thus be included in this award.
Dr. Vetter will also provide leadership and oversight for research teams across study sites to guide data processing, both for existing and to-be-collected environmental and behavioral rhythm data. Specifically, she will support the development of coding and processing procedures for existing Healthy Brain Network actigraphy data, in close collaboration with Dr. Merikangas team and her consultants.
Small Business Size Standard
Large business
Estimated Period of Performance
The period of performance is 12 months from the date of award.
Delivery of Goods
The report shall cover all work completed during the contract period. This report shall also identify any problems that arose and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved. Regular email contact and monthly conference calls with the PI & group.
Set-Aside Status
Not Set Aside
Competition Status
Competitive
Background/Description of Requirement
The contractor shall:
- Provide leadership and guidance for harmonization of environmental and behavioral rhythm data collection across study sites and study teams of the Rhythms & Blues Study protocols;
- Continue to provide training for research coordinators on administration of light devices in the Healthy Brain Network Youth Component of the Rhythms & Blues Study and the Rhythms & Blues Study at the NIH Clinical Center study;
- Advise on environmental and behavioral rhythms data derivation across existing protocols, including actigraphy processing, light sensor data processing, and sleep pattern quantification.
- Continue to aid in EMA adjustments to allow for monitoring of light device procedures and contextualization of continuous light exposure assessment for the Healthy Brain Network Youth Component of the Rhythms & Blues Study and the Rhythms & Blues Study at the NIH Clinical Center study;
- Advise on satellite and individual-level light exposure quantification in the mMARCH data;
- Advise on human melatonin rhythm assessment protocol for the NIH Clinical Center study;
- Aid with integration of novel sleep and circadian biomarker methods into the Rhythms & Blues Study; and
- Implement the plans of light exposure and biomarker data analytic both with the Principal Investigator in the development of publication strategies and priorities and supervise project staff in the exploitation of the light, sleep, and circadian data as part of the Rhythms & Blues as well as the Motor Activity Research Consortium for Health (mMARCH) and manuscript preparation (literature review, peer-review response, general public communication).
Interested parties may identify in writing their interest and capability in response to this requirement. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
All responses must be received by closing date and must reference the announcement. Responses may be submitted electronically to the attention of the contract specialist. Fax responses will not be accepted.
All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.