The Clinical Research Center to Assess Neuropsychobiologic Basis of Affective Disorders is designed to provide core support for clinical diagnosis, data management and research design, biochemical laboratories (Psychiatry Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Sleep Research Laboratory, Psychotherapy, and Brain Imaging. This Mental Health CRC is a direct outgrowth of previous Affective Disorders Unit research activities and Department investment in laboratory equipment and technical personnel for young and senior investigators. One CRC Task Force will administer each core function, and four coherent committees (Executive, Administrative Advisory, Scientific Review, and Education) will ensure optimal use of resources. The purpose of this CRC is to study symptomatic and remitted adult and childhood depressions with biologic and psychologic measures to define the role of these measures in diagnosis, treatment selection, prognosis, identification of those at risk for depression, and elucidation of underlying pathopsychologic/pathobiologic mechanisms. By making available research quality psychotherapists, predictions about treatment selection can be asked both of pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions. A particular focus of the CRC is to identify which biologic or psychologic abnormalities found in symptomatic depressives are antecedents, concommitants, or consequences of depressions. Strategies can then be developed for identifying those at risk for depression and a pathogenetic priority for these abnormalities can be established. A major initiative that will develop with CRC support is linkage between basic neuroscientists in Psychiatry and other Departments with clinical investigators. Finally, the CRC will facilitate the application of functional-structural brain imaging (single-photon, magnetic resonance, BEAM) to affective disorders, thereby linking anatomic, chemical, psychologic information. The CRC will be a regional educational resource and impact training for medical, psychology graduate, and psychiatric resident trainess.
| Cheung, Amy; Mayes, Taryn; Levitt, Anthony et al. (2010) Anxiety as a predictor of treatment outcome in children and adolescents with depression. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 20:211-6 |
| Craft, C M; Whitmore, D H; Donoso, L A (1990) Differential expression of mRNA and protein encoding retinal and pineal S-antigen during the light/dark cycle. J Neurochem 55:1461-73 |
