Faculty

Visual spatial working memory, a core cognitive process, is dependent upon a cortical network composed of multiple nodes, including primary visual, posterior parietal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. Within this network, information essential for proper visual spatial working memory function is transferred via projections furnished by pyramidal neurons located primarily in cortical layer 3. Across the primate...

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share genetic and environmental risk factors, and in some cases, certain clinical features such as cognitive impairments and psychosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction is proposed to contribute to the functional, morphological, and molecular brain alterations that may underlie the common features of these disorders. However, mitochondria are critical for multiple biological processes...

Working memory, the ability to maintain a limited amount of information “in mind” to guide everyday thoughts and behaviors, is a core cognitive process. Its function depends on activity in a network of brain areas distributed across the cerebral cortex. Each of these areas display different patterns of activity while information is being maintained. These differences are correlated with, and might depend on...

Circadian rhythms are near 24-hour oscillations controlling many aspects of physiology and behavior. The coordination and orchestration of these rhythms maintain homeostasis throughout the body. Evidence from humans suggests disruptions to circadian rhythms and sleep are linked to several psychiatric disorders, including substance use and abuse disorders. Indeed, several human and animal studies have demonstrated...

Published in Molecular Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry members John Enwright, PhD; Dominique Arion, PhD; and David A. Lewis, MD, along with colleagues from other departments, have identified cell type-specific molecular alterations in schizophrenia, which could propel strategies for identifying novel therapeutic targets. The researchers investigated the molecular alterations associated with schizophrenia at the...