Depression and Anxiety Disorders
Clinician-investigators under the direction of Andrew Stoll, MD, in the Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory have been
conducting research on integrating conventional
psychopharmacology with complementary treatments, such as omega-3 fatty acids (a constituent of fish oil), Taurine and SAMe, to determine how effective they are for treating psychiatric
disorders. Preliminary findings indicate that omega-3 fatty acids may be effective as a mood stabilizer and as an antidepressant. Since these naturally occurring products are already available to the public and in many cases, are being self-prescribed, further research will help to define how safe and
effective they may be for treating psychiatric disorders.
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Bolshakov and colleague Ryong Moon Shin, MD, PhD
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Understanding Memory
Researchers have long argued that for memory and learning to occur, connected neurons must become more responsive to one anotherso responsive, they continue to communicate even when they are no longer being stimulated by an external source, such as sensory input. Led by Vadim Bolshakov, PhD, investigators in the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers directed by William Carlezon, PhD, of the Behavioral Genetics Laboratory have shown conclusively and for the first time that this heightened sensitivity actually occurs. In addition to resolving this long-standing scientific question, the discovery could lead to a better understanding of anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Individuals can have a very poor memory of a traumatic incident, but at the same time, very strong unconscious emotional memories can be formed. These unconscious memories, developed through what is called a fear conditioning
mechanism, are very resistant to extinction and can become a source of intense anxiety.
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 Hudson with colleague Justine Lalonde, MD |
Researchers in the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, co-directed by James Hudson, MD, and Harrison Pope, MD, have shown that a cluster of several medical and psychiatric conditions they have named
affective spectrum disorder might all share still unidentified genetic
factors. The disorders in this group include major depression, panic
disorder, generalized anxiety
disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, bulimia nervosa,
irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and several other conditions. Identification of this related cluster of illnesses represents the first step toward understanding the genetic basis of these disorders and developing better
treatment paradigms for the large percentage of the population they affect.
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Substance Abuse
 Lukas |
Led by Scott Lukas, PhD, researchers in the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Laboratory have shown that people who wear a nicotine patch and drink alcohol have a heightened reaction to alcohols effects. Ironically, the desire to smoke is also increased. By comparison, cocaine addicts who wear nicotine patches report that the positive subjective pleasures of cocaine are decreased. These findings
suggest that nicotine transdermal patches may be useful in managing
cocaine-dependent individuals who want to stop using the drug.
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