Our Mission
Our research division brings together clinicians and basic research scientists who share a common interest in translational neuroscience and biological psychiatry research to improve the lives of those who suffer from mental illness.
Our space includes:
- Molecular and cellular biology laboratories, including areas devoted to tissue culture; procedure space for conducting neuroscience research, including electrophysiology; as well as a dedicated behavioral suite for conducting preclinical pharmacological studies.
- Access to a wide variety of clinical settings, such as inpatient services, outpatient services, community services, day hospital, emergency psychiatric services, and specialized treatment clinics that deliver a broad range of treatments including psychotherapy, intranasal esketamine, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and electroconvulsive therapy.
Investigators
Todd D. Gould, MD
Division Director
Our basic science laboratory uses genetic, behavioral, pharmacological, electrophysiological, and photometric approaches to investigate the pathophysiology of mood disorders, as well as to advance knowledge of antidepressant drug mechanisms. Of particular interest are mechanisms of rapid-acting antidepressant drugs and neuromodulation strategies. In addition to studies to define the pharmacological action of existing drugs, there are drug discovery and development efforts and focus on improved preclinical models for applications to psychiatry, the functional consequences of mood disorder susceptibility genes, and collaborative translational studies with clinically focused research groups. We aim to further understand the underlying causes of mood disorders, and to assess the feasibility of novel treatment strategies, anticipating that an improved understanding of the underlying biology of mood disorders will lead to earlier interventions and new treatments that will benefit those suffering from these diseases.
Sarah H. Clark, PhD
My lab studies neuroimmune interactions in the brain and the role of the adaptive immune system (specifically T cells) in behavioral responses to inflammation and stress. As a psychoneuroimmunologist, my work focuses on elucidating mechanisms by which dysregulation of the neuroimmune axis results in maladaptive behaviors associated with various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, through the use of animal models, post-mortem human tissue, and clinical research. This research incorporates a range of techniques to examine changes in gene and protein expression (particularly cytokines), cell survival and activation, neuroanatomy, and behavior. Overall, the scope of my research spans three main components:
- The role of the adaptive immune system in behavioral responses to stress;
- Inflammation and depression; and
- Neuroimmune interactions in neurodevelopment.
Maged M. Harraz, MB, BCh, MS, PhD
The primary focus of the Harraz lab is to elucidate the interplay between protein homeostasis and signal transduction to leverage for drug discovery in neuroscience. We use multidisciplinary approaches to investigate the role of proteostasis in neural cell signaling and its impact on cell and organism biology. Specifically, our research focuses on understanding a novel selective autophagy pathway that targets membrane proteins and elucidating its implications for virus-host interactions, reward behavior, and neurodegeneration.
Gustavo Medeiros, MD
I perform studies on the impact of clinical variables and biomarkers on response and side effects to different types of antidepressants. I conduct research on personalized/precision treatment of mood disorders, particularly treatment-resistant depression (also known as difficult-to-treat depression), which is a heterogeneous group of patients. My research vision is to reduce the gap between research and clinical practice by developing practical and clinician-friendly predictive models that could be easily applied in real clinical settings. I have a particular interest in understanding the moderators/mediators of response to ketamine/esketamine, which will provide insight to mechanism of action of these medications and will allow the identification of patients who are likely to benefit from ketamine/esketamine, increasing treatment success and maximizing the use of resources.
Teodor T. Postolache, MD
My research is focused on specific features of depression, bipolar disorder (e.g with seasonal pattern, manifested in pregnancy or after delivery), and suicide risk factors (including most psychiatric conditions, impulsivity, aggression, and sleep disturbance), in particular among U.S. veterans. I study chronobiological, neuroimmunologic and metabolic mechanisms; the physical, chemical and biological evolutionary, developmental and contemporaneous environment; and their interplay. I attempt to “sandwich,” whenever feasible, multiple levels of inquiry, including molecular, cellular, clinical, and epidemiological (big data), with observational, experimental, and interventional approaches. A particular interest are interactions with demographic factors (race, ethnicity, gender, age), chronic neurotropic infections, allergies, autoimmune disease, traumatic brain injury, and vulnerability genes for comorbid psychiatric and metabolic conditions