The candidate seeks an ISA in order to develop expertise in a new research method, functional MRI. Without an ISA, ongoing clinical-administrative responsibilities would prohibit this career development.
The aims of the candidate's research over the past 20 years have been twofold. First, he has sought to identify and assess aspects of human brain functions that involve the integrated action of many cells in functional systems often distributed through several brain regions. To this end he has developed and applied dichotic listening and visual half-field single hemisphere stimulation techniques, and studied dual task interactions and effects of emotion or changes in physiological state. Second, he has applied these techniques to the study of major psychosis especially schizophrenia. There the goals have been to elucidate pathophysiological processes and contribute to the development of a physiologically based nosology. fMRI is a new technique particularly well-suited for these goals. It yields individual subject data with superior anatomic and temporal resolution, and can evaluate the same individual with multiple variations of task and/or in multiple clinical or experimental states. Two physicists who have played leading roles in the worldwide effort to develop fMRI are on the faculty at Yale. The candidate has developed productive collaborations with both, and with outstanding scientists on their faculty in neuroanatomy, neuroradiology and statistics. An ISA would enable him to gain knowledge necessary to critically apply and help develop further this new methodology in collaboration with this interdisciplinary team. The candidate proposes to gain the requisite knowledge through formal course work and weekly tutorial in fMRI technology, weekly tutorial and an interactive computer based course in neuroanatomy, and didactic interactions during the course of collaborative investigation. The proposed research uses fMRI to identify frontal and temporal lobe components of the human auditory working memory system, evaluate the function of these regions and this system in patients with schizophrenia, and eventually, to compare the effects of emotion on this system in patients and healthy controls.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research (K02)
Project #
5K02MH001296-03
Application #
2674439
Study Section
Clinical Neuroscience and Biological Psychopathology Review Committee (CNBP)
Project Start
1996-09-15
Project End
2001-04-30
Budget Start
1998-05-04
Budget End
1999-04-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Yale University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
082359691
City
New Haven
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06520
Liu, Jiacheng; Corbera, Silvia; Wexler, Bruce Edward (2014) Neural activation abnormalities during self-referential processing in schizophrenia: an fMRI study. Psychiatry Res 222:165-71
Bell, Morris D; Corbera, Silvia; Johannesen, Jason K et al. (2013) Social cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in schizophrenia: are there subtypes with distinct functional correlates? Schizophr Bull 39:186-96
Liu, Jiacheng; Qiu, Maolin; Constable, R Todd et al. (2012) Does baseline cerebral blood flow affect task-related blood oxygenation level dependent response in schizophrenia? Schizophr Res 140:143-8
Surti, Toral S; Corbera, Silvia; Bell, Morris D et al. (2011) Successful computer-based visual training specifically predicts visual memory enhancement over verbal memory improvement in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 132:131-4
Kurtz, Matthew M; Seltzer, James C; Fujimoto, Marco et al. (2009) Predictors of change in life skills in schizophrenia after cognitive remediation. Schizophr Res 107:267-74
Wexler, Bruce E; Zhu, Hongtu; Bell, Morris D et al. (2009) Neuropsychological near normality and brain structure abnormality in schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 166:189-95
Kurtz, Matthew M; Wexler, Bruce E; Fujimoto, Marco et al. (2008) Symptoms versus neurocognition as predictors of change in life skills in schizophrenia after outpatient rehabilitation. Schizophr Res 102:303-11
Kurtz, Matthew M; Seltzer, James C; Shagan, Dana S et al. (2007) Computer-assisted cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: what is the active ingredient? Schizophr Res 89:251-60
Kurtz, Matthew M; Wexler, Bruce E (2006) Differences in performance and learning proficiency on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in schizophrenia: do they reflect distinct neurocognitive subtypes with distinct functional profiles? Schizophr Res 81:167-71
Kurtz, Matthew M; Seltzer, James C; Ferrand, Jennifer L et al. (2005) Neurocognitive function in schizophrenia at a 10-year follow-up: a preliminary investigation. CNS Spectr 10:277-80

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