|
 |
|
      |
|
|
|
 Press Release 
For immediate release NARSAD-funded scientists to discuss new findings on causes, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses; 2008 Klerman Award recipient will describe potential preventive intervention for schizophrenia NARSAD’s 20th annual New York Mental Health Symposium will take place on Friday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in Manhattan. Those interested in attending are advised to reserve a place by contacting NARSAD at 800-829-8289 or events@narsad.org. The symposium will include presentations on such topics as genetic susceptibility to mental disorders; early identification, treatment and prevention of schizophrenia and depression, including childhood depression and postpartum mood disorders; and understanding the mechanisms of compulsive behaviors. The morning session will be devoted to basic research, the afternoon session will be on clinical research. (A complete schedule of talks follows below.) One of the day’s featured presentations will be given by Gabriel Alejandro de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Washington University, who has been studying schizophrenia in an indigenous population in South America that, because of its geographical isolation, has usually not been exposed to treatment. Dr. de Erausquin’s findings indicate that the process leading to the onset of delusions and hallucinations in adult life can be detected in subjects at risk, which is associated with inheritance of shared genes, and may bring us to the threshold of prevention of this devastating disease -- a prime goal of NARSAD and the entire mental health community for decades. Calling his work “unique, novel and exciting,” NARSAD’s Scientific Council presented Dr. de Erausquin with its 2008 Klerman Award for Outstanding Clinical Research by a Young Investigator. Moderating the symposium will be Robert M.A. Hirschfeld, M.D., Titus Harris Chair and Harry K. Davis, M.D. Professor, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Expert commentary will be provided, in the morning session, by Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and chair of the Arthur M. Fishberg Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and, in the afternoon, by Jan A. Fawcett, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Santa Fe, and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Presentations include (full descriptions appended at end): Morning Session, 9:00 a.m. – Noon: Advances in Basic Research “Understanding the Development of Major Mental Disorders: Convergence of Genetic Susceptibility Factors in a Common Disease Pathway,” Atsushi Kamiya, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University “Chromosomal Proteins as Mediators of Memory and Mood: Toward Novel Therapies for Mental Illness,” Stephen J. Haggarty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Neuroscience, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Human Genetic Research; Director of Chemical Neurobiology, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute “Understanding Compulsive Behaviors: A Delicate Balance Between Parallel Learning Systems,” Christopher Pittenger, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research Clinic, and Attending Physician, Parent Support Services Clinic, Yale University “Identifying New Pathways in the Brain for Treating Depression,” Janet Alder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey “Novel Molecular Targets for Treatment of Schizophrenia,” Effat S. Emamian, M.D., Research Assistant Professor and Independent Investigator, Rockefeller University Afternoon Session, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.: New Ground in Clinical Research “The Eye as a Window Into the Brain: The Pupil as a Potential Biomarker of Risk for Child and Adolescent Depression,” Jennifer S. Silk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh “Sleep Patterns in Depression,” Michael J. Peterson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison “Postpartum Mood Disorders and the Role of the Neurotransmitter Dopamine,” Eydie L. Moses-Kolko, M.D., Assistant Investigator, Magee-Women’s Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center “A Strategy for Primary Prevention of Schizophrenia: Genetic and Clinical Studies in a Special Population,” Gabriel Alejandro de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Washington University “Risks and Benefits of Treating Schizophrenia Patients with Multiple Medications,” Dan W. Haupt, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Washington University; Assistant Director, Barnes Jewish Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic Since its inception in 1987, NARSAD has awarded 3,516 research grants totaling $238 million to 2,707 scientists working in the United States and 27 other countries. Through free symposia in New York and other cities around the country, NARSAD provides opportunities for the public to learn about the mechanisms behind mental illnesses and about promising new ideas about the causes of these disorders, potential new treatments and strategies for prevention. On the evening of Oct. 17, following the symposium, NARSAD will hold its annual New York fundraising gala at the Waldorf Astoria. As a special feature, this year’s gala will pay tribute to one of the nation’s leading healthcare policymakers and administrators, Hebert Pardes, M.D., president and CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Pardes has served as president of NARSAD’s Scientific Council since the organization began. The 110-member council oversees NARSAD’s grant-giving and public education programs. At the gala, NARSAD will also award its top prizes for achievement in psychiatric research to six of the foremost investigators in the world today. For more information on the gala and prize recipients, please visit www.narsad.org or call 516-829-0091. Presentation Synopses: Understanding the Development of Major Mental Disorders: Convergence of Genetic Susceptibility Factors in a Common Disease Pathway Atsushi Kamiya, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University To shed light on how major mental disorders arise, and find new targets for treatment, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms through which susceptibility factors function in disease pathways. Dr. Kamiya and his lab members have been studying a major genetic susceptibility factor for schizophrenia, a gene called Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1). They have reported that DISC1 is an essential component of a molecular formation in a part of the cell called the centrosome, which plays a crucial role in the development of the cerebral cortex. Underlying the research is the possibility that disturbance in the centrosome may contribute to psychosis and perhaps other phenomena associated with schizophrenia. Chromosomal Proteins as Mediators of Memory and Mood: Toward Novel Therapies for Mental Illness Stephen J. Haggarty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Neuroscience, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Human Genetic Research; Director of Chemical Neurobiology, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute Chromatin is the complex of DNA and protein that makes up our chromosomes, the tightly packed structures in the nucleus of cells that are repositories of the genetic material. To contribute to a better understanding of the role of chromatin in mental illness, Dr. Haggarty’s research is applying advances in chemical biology to develop small-molecule probes and methods for manipulating chromatin remodeling in brain cells. Growing evidence suggests that targeting these mechanisms may provide new approaches for treating memory and mood disorders. Understanding Compulsive Behaviors: A Delicate Balance Between Parallel Learning Systems Christopher Pittenger, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research Clinic, and Attending Physician, Parent Support Services Clinic, Yale University Research has revealed that modes of behavior engage different brain circuits. Inflexible habit-like behaviors engage the basal ganglia, including the striatum; more flexible, adaptive actions engage a circuit that includes the hippocampus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. A disruption of the dynamic balance between modes of behavior can lead to maladaptive patterns of behavior and to symptoms of psychiatric disease, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome and drug addiction. Dr. Pittenger hypothesizes that by elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of striatum-dependent habit learning, he can shed light both on the underpinnings of a central feature of behavior and on their contribution to disorder symptoms. Identifying New Pathways in the Brain for Treating Depression Janet Alder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Current antidepressant medications are not effective in a significant proportion of patients and require several weeks to work. Dr. Alder is searching for new pathways to treat depression by studying molecules regulated by both the neurotransmitter serotonin and a growth factor called VGF that has been implicated in depression. Working with animal models, she and colleagues are using a multidisciplinary approach to demonstrate a novel role for VGF in depression and more recently in bipolar disorder. Human postmortem studies are being employed to study the levels of VGF in psychiatric illnesses. One long-term goal is to determine if VGF can be used as a marker for diagnosing psychiatric disorders. In addition, the VGF pathway might provide a new avenue for developing faster and more effective therapies. Novel Molecular Targets for Treatment of Schizophrenia Effat S. Emamian, M.D., Research Assistant Professor and Independent Investigator, Rockefeller University Genetics and neurodevelopment both play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia. To dissect the complexity of this devastating illness and find the best molecular targets for treatment, Dr. Emamian and colleagues have analyzed the levels of several proteins in the brains of people with schizophrenia and have discovered major irregularities in the levels of proteins called AKT1 and NR1. The team then created animal models that mimic these changes, with the intention of correlating the protein anomalies with behavioral changes akin to those seen in people with schizophrenia, research that has possible implications for identifying new therapies for schizophrenia. Commentator Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Chair, Arthur M. Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai Medical Center Afternoon Session, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.: New Ground in Clinical Research The Eye as a Window Into the Brain: The Pupil as a Potential Biomarker of Risk for Child and Adolescent Depression Jennifer S. Silk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh Early-onset depression is increasingly being diagnosed and is associated with marked impairments in social, academic and occupational functioning into adulthood and increased risk of suicide. Therefore, early identification of youth at risk and of the processes involved in the development of the illness is critical. Dr. Silk uses pupillometry as a novel approach to research. Her method involves using an eye-tracking camera to measure changes in pupil size while children complete emotional information-processing tasks on a computer, which provides an index of the intensity and time course of underlying brain activity in the emotional and cognitive processing regions of the brain. It may be that such measurements could serve as a future biomarker for depression risk. Sleep Patterns in Depression Michael J. Peterson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison Sleep complaints are common symptoms of depression and often the first sign of depression relapse. Specific sleep patterns that could be a biological marker of depression would be a valuable tool for diagnosis, for monitoring treatment and possibly for designing new and better treatments. Scientists have observed a correlation between depression and decreased slow wave sleep (SWS), or abnormal distribution of SWS during the night. High-density electroencephalography (hd-EEG) can provide a high-resolution image of sleep brain activity. Using this technique, Dr. Peterson and colleagues have identified differences in the topographic patterns of slow-wave activity between depressed and healthy subjects. The team has now begun to assess more directly how slow waves reflect biological changes in brain activity since changes in slow-wave activity patterns may indicate specific brain regions affected by depression. Postpartum Mood Disorders and the Role of the Neurotransmitter Dopamine Eydie L. Moses-Kolko, M.D., Assistant Investigator, Magee-Women’s Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Women in the child-bearing years carry a greater burden of major depressive disorder than any other demographic group. Dr. Moses-Kolko believes dopamine system abnormalities in the striatum region of the brain may underlie mood disorders in reproductive-aged women. Her group uses PET scans (positron emission tomography) to study the function of cellular receptors in nerve cells sensitive to the neurotransmitter dopamine in the striatum of affected women. Her data suggest specific dopamine-reception binding effects that may be a consequence of hormonal changes or interaction with the newborn. She plans additional research to better understand these mechanisms in postpartum mood disorders and other deficits in the striatal dopamine system. A Strategy for Primary Prevention of Schizophrenia: Genetic and Clinical Studies in a Special Population Gabriel Alejandro de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Washington University The symptoms of schizophrenia typically appear in early adulthood, although it is known that the disease process begins in the brain during early development. Therefore, a window of about two decades exists that would allow preventative interventions if the disease process can be identified. It is also known that schizophrenia risk is largely inherited. Dr. de Erausquin's group is currently studying an indigenous population in South America that, because of its geographical isolation, has usually not been exposed to symptomatic treatment. The researchers’ findings indicate that the process leading to the onset of delusions and hallucinations in adult life can be detected in subjects at risk, is associated with inheritance of shared genes and brings us to the threshold of prevention of schizophrenia -- a prime goal of NARSAD and the entire mental health community for decades. Risks and Benefits of Treating Schizophrenia Patients with Multiple Medications Dan W. Haupt, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Washington University; Assistant Director, Barnes Jewish Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic People with severe mental illness experience significantly reduced life expectancy. Cardiovascular disease accounts for the largest number of excess deaths. Multiple factors likely contribute to this elevated risk, including those related to disease, lifestyle and treatment. Regarding treatment effects, most studies to date have focused on single medications in order to carefully delineate the relative risk among them. However, individuals are commonly treated with multiple medications. Few data are available to inform clinicians of the risks and benefits of these medication combinations. Dr. Haupt believes that by studying the common strategy of augmenting antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenia with the mood stabilizer valproate, it may be possible to create a model that can be used to translate pertinent results back to the community. This, he believes, could help to reduce cardiovascular mortality in people being treated for schizophrenia. Commentator: Jan A. Fawcett, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Santa Fe, and University of New Mexico, Albuquerque |
Media Contact
Latest News from NARSAD
Spotlight
|
|||
For the Media