This Scientist Development Award for Clinicians application from Dr. Allen Tien, a Board Certified psychiatrist and psychiatric epidemiologist, proposes a five-year award to support career development for research on schizophrenia. The major career development objective of the proposal is the acquisition of expertise in oculomotor brain systems in terms of anatomy, physiology, and control system models. A second objective is to further develop knowledge and skills in multidimensional statistical modeling and to apply the acquired oculomotor expertise within an epidemiologic framework in a population-based sample to study schizophrenia spectrum. Long-term career goals are study of developmental interactions between brain structure and function and behavior related to schizophrenia. Study of the oculomotor systems provides access to a number of brain structures and functional systems relevant for schizophrenia. Dr. Tien has begun to develop an oculomotor lab in the past year, and has been working on assessing subjects taking part in other studies. The SDA-C Award will allow development of the oculomotor lab with implementation of a state-of- the-art approach to studying cerebral hemispheral control of eye movements in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum. The Award will make it possible to acquire comprehensive expertise in oculomotor neuroscience, and will greatly enhance development as an independent researcher. Dr. David Zee has agreed to provide supervision and didactic training for this major element of the career development plan. The research goal is to describe the cross-sectional distributions and study the multivariable patterns of covariation of oculomotor, cognitive, and personality parameters, within a community sample of subjects with DSM- III-R Schizotypal, Paranoid, and Schizoid Personality Disorders and traits (""""""""schizophrenia spectrum""""""""), in comparison to subjects with full schizophrenia, and depressive and normal controls. The research will provide a foundation for an epidemiologic approach to modeling different levels of central nervous system function in mental disorders, and although cross-sectional, could advance our understanding of the contribution of neurobiology to personality structure in schizophrenia, with impact on identifying risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and biopsychosocial aspects of treatment.
| Tien, A Y; Eaton, W W; Schlaepfer, T E et al. (1996) Exploratory factor analysis of MRI brain structure measures in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 19:93-101 |
| Tien, A Y; Ross, D E; Pearlson, G et al. (1996) Eye movements and psychopathology in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. J Nerv Ment Dis 184:331-8 |
