Funding for Innovative Research on Addiction/Substance-Use Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and Other Psychiatric Illnesses

One of the most important objectives in brain research is to understand in detail how genetic abnormalities impact the ability of brain cells and circuits to function properly. This is one of the keys to unlocking the mysteries of causation in a range of psychiatric illnesses, especially those thought to have a strong genetic component.

Abnormalities in several brain networks have been shown in past research to be present in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the effort to find more effective treatments, there has been considerable interest in whether connectivity patterns in these disturbed networks can predict whether a given individual will respond to available treatments.

Scientists Recognized for Advancing the Understanding of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Pediatric Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Cognitive Neuroscience

Honorees Chosen for Addressing Challenges Faced by People with Mental Illness and Intellectual Disabilities, Advancing the Understanding of Mental Health, and Fostering Academic Freedom.

Researchers say they have identified an objective biomarker of recovery in major depression that in a small cohort of treatment-resistant patients was able (on an ongoing basis) to capture whether each patient was in a “depressed” or “stable response” state while being treated with deep-brain stimulation (DBS).

In recent years, research has begun to suggest something that was once thought to be unlikely: that negative symptoms in schizophrenia may be responsive, to some significant degree, to treatment. A newly published study led by a BBRF grantee adds to the growing evidence base.