The Mental Health Research Association Announces Awards
to Seven JHU Psychiatry Researchers
The National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) is a mental health research association. NARSAD’s key role is to support scientific research to find better treatments which will ultimately prevent severe mental illnesses. NARSAD has awarded a total of $215 million through 3,194 research grants to scientists in the United States and at least 25 other countries.
Click here for NARSAD Press Release
STAGLIN AWARDAkira Sawa, M.D., Ph.D. has been named a 'Rising Star' as the recipient of the 2007 |
DISTINGUISHED INVESTIGATORS AWARD Click here for more information at NARSAD
Russell L. Margolis, M.D.
Genomic Copy Number Variation in Schizophrenia
Dr. Margolis has a long standing interest in unstable DNA, beginning with his work on Huntington's disease. His group previously described two neurodegenerative diseases, and demonstrated that these two diseases were also caused by DNA instability. He was awarded a NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award to apply this expertise to schizophrenia. Dr. Margolis will take advantage of recent technological advances and the success of the Human Genome Project to investigate regions of DNA instability in a carefully selected group of patients with schizophrenia, and matched controls.
YOUNG INVESTIGATORS AWARD Click here for more information at NARSAD
Deepak Grover, Ph.D.
Genetic Association of HPA Axis-related Genes with Major Depressive Disorder
Dr. Grover will explore the role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in stress response and depression. This three-organ system is known to play a role in stress response but it is not clear whether variations in the HPA are part of the cause or the effect of depression linked to stress. Genetic susceptibility seems to be a factor, however, exactly which genes in the HPA axis contribute to the process is still unclear. Using the vast genomic data now available, Dr. Grover will use recently-developed bioinformatics technology to ‘curate’ the information in order to develop a master list containing HPA axis genes, genes that regulate the axis, and genes that the axis regulates. He will then look for genetic variations to narrow the range of candidate genes involved in major depressive illness.
Atsushi Kamiya, M.D., Ph.D.
The Centrosomal Pathway for Psychosis
Dr. Kamiya is studying the centrosomal pathway for psychosis, which may be shared among psychotic Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Under Dr. Sawa’s direction, it was found that all the causal gene products for BBS interact with DISC1, a major risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Furthermore, this group newly identified a schizophrenia-associated mutation in the gene encoding for PCM1, a common protein interactor of BBS and DISC1. Thus, genes for BBS and PCM1 could be new genes of interest for schizophrenia, and Dr. Kamiya will be examining the interaction among these gene products.Francis M. Mondimore, M.D.
MTHFR Polymorphisms and Folate in Major Depression
Dr. Mondimore's research will examine the role of the vitamin folate in major depressive illness. Folate works to detoxify homocystine, a toxic molecule that is created by various bodily processes and known be a factor in heart disease and depression. This two-part study will examine the DNA of a thousand depressed patients, gathered as part of the GENRAD study, to look for genetic defects in a particular enzyme (MTHFR) known to interfere with folate's beneficial action on the body. The second part of the project will measure homocystine levels in depressed subjects to further elucidate its relationship to major depressive disorder.Graham W. Redgrave, M.D.
Longitudinal Changes in Brain Function in Anorexia Nervosa
Dr. Redgrave’s research involves behavioral pathology in anorexia nervosa. The ways in which the decision to defer eating influences the origin or maintenance of eating disorders are unclear. He will explore affective and cognitive components of decision-making in anorexia nervosa and the neural correlates of treatment response in patients. He will also examine the differences in behavioral performance and brain activation during the performance of various standard tests. Clarifying the mechanisms underlying the cognitive and emotional components of decision-making in anorexia nervosa may aid in the development of specific treatments, such as tailored psychological and pharmacological therapies, and may improve prediction regarding relapse.Ranjana Verma, Ph.D.
The Role of Neurotrophin System Genes in Major Depression Susceptibility
The goal of Dr. Verma’s research is to identify sequence variations in neurotrophin system genes that might be conferring risk for major depression. Neurotrophins are a family of nerve growth factors that regulate the functioning and characteristics of neuronal cells. The fact that depressed patients exhibit neuronal atrophy and cell loss is evidence of their involvement in the disease. There are no studies to date that have systematically and completely screened neurotrophin system genes for association with major depression and genetic studies that have tested the association of sequence variation in the DNA of neurotrophin system genes with depression have, so far, been inconclusive. Dr. Verma will be looking at four kinds of neurotrophins and their receptor, or holders, for multiple rare variants that contribute to depression susceptibility as well as the role of common variations in these same genes that confer predisposition to major depression.
