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Markers Discovered for Psychosis Predictors Diana Perkins, M.D., M.P.H. UNC Department of Psychiatry Professor of Psychiatry Director of UNC Outreach and Support Intervention Services (OASIS) The research supported by the Foundation of Hope was the groundwork for Dr. Perkins' NIMH-funded studies aimed to discover predictors and mechanism for the development of psychosis in persons at clinical high-risk. In particular, she and her team have identified markers related to immune system dysregulation as important predictors of psychosis. This critical data helps providers by informing new ways to treat patients with severe mental illness. Markers Discovered for Psychosis Predictors Diana Perkins, M.D., M.P.H. UNC Department of Psychiatry Professor of Psychiatry Director of UNC Outreach and Support Intervention Services (OASIS) Director, Early Psychosis Interventions in North Carolina (EPI-NC) The research supported by the Foundation of Hope was the [...]

World-Renowned Women’s Mood Disorders Program David R. Rubinow, M.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine Founder, UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders Support from the Foundation of Hope created the Women’s Mood Disorders Program at UNC. This program is now world-renowned and remains the only one in the country with an inpatient peripartum unit and with an NIH T32 training fellowship. Among other accomplishments, studies by the program investigators have demonstrated the following: 1) Estrogen prevents both depressive symptoms and acceleration of cardiovascular disease in perimenopausal women (thus arguing for the potential re-introduction of hormone therapy in this population); and 2) The unique susceptibility of some women to mood disorders during periods of reproductive change resides, at least in part, in differential genomic responses to hormone stimuli (which has shown to be present in the [...]

PTSD Symptom Reduction in Veterans Eric Elbogen, Ph.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor of Psychiatry With support from the Foundation of Hope, Dr. Elbogen and his team identified an astonishing frequency of behavioral disorders in returning veterans as well as the lack of financial literacy, which contributed to their difficulty reintegrating. This led the team to develop several successful interventions: 1) a mobile technology-based cognitive rehabilitation in veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD, the first such intervention to reduce anger, aggression, impulsivity, and PTSD symptoms in this population; and 2) a financial literacy training intervention, which decreased both the emotional and financial burden of our returning troops.

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Flavio Frohlich, Ph.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Professor of Psychiatry and Cell Biology & Physiology Director, Carolina Center for Neurostimulation Led by Dr. Flavio Frohlich, UNC researchers with the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation have turned a theory of how brain circuits can be restored into promising clinical trials for treating schizophrenia, depression, and chronic pain. This research has led to the successful start-up company Pulvinar Neuro, which seeks to commercialize noninvasive brain stimulation as a means to treat mental illness. This multi-phase project was funded by several grants from the Foundation of Hope. Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Flavio Frohlich, Ph.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Cell Biology & Physiology Director, Carolina Center for Neurostimulation With the support of the Foundation of Hope, Dr. Frohlich and his team [...]

Autism Pre-Symptomatic Prevention Gabriel Dichter, Ph.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Professor of Psychiatry Director, Clinical Affective Neuroscience Lab Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts the functioning of brain regions that process social information. Dr. Dichter’s Foundation of Hope funded research has used behavioral econometrics, eyetracking, electrophysiology, and functional brain imaging to investigate neurobiological mechanisms, inflammatory pathways, and treatment response in ASD. This work has tremendous potential for pre-symptomatic prevention in children at risk, as well as the development of early interventions. Autism Pre-Symptomatic Prevention Joseph Piven, M.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Thomas E. Castelloe Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology Director, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities Dr. Piven's work has identified potential targets for intervention in autism as well as demonstrating that brain scans in infants can accurately predict which infants will go on [...]

Cutting-Edge Neuroimaging Approaches Garret Stuber, Ph.D. UNC Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Cell Biology & Physiology Developed cutting-edge neuroimaging approaches that led to the discovery of how adaptive and maladaptive behaviors are controlled by dynamic changes in networks involving the frontal cortex, a region implicated in many psychiatric illnesses. One of Dr. Stuber's proudest and highest impact research accomplishments was developing novel approaches for deciphering how frontal cortical network dynamics control adaptive and maladaptive behaviors. Frontal cortex is known to be critical for controlling decision making, impulsivity, and general executive function. Disruption in frontal cortical function is thought to be a driver of many forms of mental illness, ranging from addiction, depression, and schizophrenia. The problem is, neuroscientists and psychiatrists still have a very poor mechanistic understanding of how different cell types in the frontal [...]

First Ever FDA-Approved PPD TreatmentSamantha Meltzer-Brody, M.D., M.P.H.UNC Department of PsychiatryAssad Meymandi Distinguished Professor and Chair of PsychiatryDirector, UNC Center for Women's Mood DisordersPerformed the first study of a novel compound – a neurosteroid – for rapid treatment of postpartum depression, a treatment that will soon be available to the 10-15% of women who develop postpartum depression. As a perinatal psychiatrist and clinician-scientist, Dr. Meltzer-Brody's  proudest and highest impact research accomplishment is serving as the academic PI for the brexanolone clinical trials in the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD). Now approved by the FDA, this is the first pharmacotherapy specifically developed and approved for PPD. PPD is a debilitating mental illness that impacts at least 10-15% of women that give birth. This research is directly tied to Dr. Meltzer-Brody's long-term interest in understanding the pathophysiology and biomarker signature of [...]