Dopamine (DA) neurotransmission within the brain's reward circuit has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, as well as mechanisms of treatment response. Still, a direct relationship between measures of DA neurotransmission and reward-related deficits in patients with depression has not been demonstrated. In a study led by Marta Peciña, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, investigators used...

Ronald Glick, MD is a recognized leader in integrative medicine and focuses his practice on integrative approaches to chronic pain management and psychiatry. His unique skill set includes acupuncture, biofeedback, prolotherapy, and multi-modality mental health interventions, enabling him to treat patients with the most refractory clinical needs at the intersection of pain management, mental health, and integrative...

Depression. Bipolar disorder. Substance use. Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes. Obesity. Cardiovascular disease. Accidental death. What do these seemingly disparate psychiatric and physical disorders have in common? Each of them is linked to disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms. The Center for Sleep and Circadian Science (CSCS) is an internationally-recognized group of investigators, educators, and clinicians...

Erika Forbes, PhD has been elected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Fellow status is awarded to APS members who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, service, and/or application. Dr. Forbes is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Affective Neuroscience and Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory. An...

Disruptions in circadian rhythms are associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder, and the circadian protein CLOCK is involved in regulating monoaminergic systems and mood-related behavior. Colleen A. McClung, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Yanhua Huang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry set out to clarify the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying this relationship. Working in collaboration...

Working for Kids: Building Skills TM, led by Judy Cameron, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry was one of 29 companies to emanate from the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute in 2017. The team is now offering this educational program, which educates communities about child brain development and interventions needed to help children succeed later in life, through Working for Kids: Building Skills LLC. Initially...

Alcohol use is responsible for about 4% of all deaths worldwide. Alcohol abuse and dependence are also frequently seen in individuals diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Defining the factors that contribute to this increased risk for these cancers is critical to the ultimate goal of reducing cancer development. Because about 30% of all types of cancers involve the HRAS oncogene, its expression is of importance to...

Alexandre Dombrovski, MD and Susanne E. Ahmari, MD, PhD have been elected to the membership of the American Society of Clinical Investigators (ASCI). The Society, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies, is comprised of young physician-scientists from all medical specialties. Members are elected for their outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research. Dr. Ahmari...

Published in Translational Psychiatry Severe worry arises from a complex blend of maladaptive affective and cognitive processes. Contrary to other forms of anxiety, there is no consensus in the field regarding the neural basis of worry. No previous study has looked at cerebral blood flow changes associated specifically with in-scanner induction and reappraisal of worry. In the first study of its kind, Department of...

Dana Rofey, PhD, has spent her career studying the relations between cognitive, structural, and functional brain status and response to and provision of weight management programs. She has developed an impressive body of interrelated clinical work and programming and scientific studies related to eating, gender identity, and adolescent/early adult health behavior. Her research has been consistently funded by the...