Publications

Multiple Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published studies in Molecular Psychiatry. Below is a roundup of recent original research on adolescent neurodevelopment, aging and cognition, and the association between sleep and psychosis. Adolescent maturation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex glutamate: GABA and cognitive function is supported by dopamine-related neurobiology Pitt Psychiatry investigators...

Neurofibrillary tangles are a defining neuropathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease with little or no quantifiable insoluble brain tau neurofibrillary tangle pathology demonstrate stronger clinical benefits of therapies than those with advanced neurofibrillary tangles. The formation of neurofibrillary tangles can be prevented by targeting the intermediate soluble tau...

Dopamine transmission is essential for reward processes including motivation and reinforcement. Motivation is the internal process activating and directing behavior, and reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior through stimulus–response and action–outcome associations. The nucleus accumbens medial shell within the striatum serves as a key hub for reward-related behaviors, receiving dopaminergic inputs...

Mania/hypomania is characterized by elevated reward sensitivity and goal overvaluation, impulsivity, and sensation seeking, and is the defining symptom of bipolar disorder. However, in individuals without a clear history of mania/hypomania, bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder. Replicable neural markers of mania/hypomania risk are needed for earlier bipolar diagnosis, as well as for...

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common cause of stroke and cognitive impairment in older adults. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images are the most common feature of cerebral small vessel disease. However, the magnitude of WMH’s relationship to cognition and to the rate of cognitive decline varies considerably across individuals. Sex may be an important...