Schizophrenia

Investigating Brain and Behavior Development in Typical and High-Risk Children Award: $46,921 Mental illnesses are likely present early in childhood, long before the symptoms begin to emerge in adolescence or adulthood. By leveraging the data from the Early Brain Development (EBD) study, researcher Dr. Sarah Short will study trajectories of the brain and behavioral development from birth through pre-adolescence, searching for signs of mental illness symptoms that correlate with early brain development. Sarah Short, Ph.D. Need/Problem: The neural basis of major mental illnesses is likely present early in childhood, long before the clinical symptoms begin to emerge in adolescence or adulthood. Until recently, methods for studying the developing brain were unavailable. Grant Summary: This study seeks to provide new knowledge and hope for preventing mental illness and promoting healthy outcomes in children [...]

Establishing Network Targets during Development for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Award: $37,549 There is some evidence to suggest that directly stimulating the brain with a targeted, low-level electrical current may yield positive effects on certain cognitive disorders. By extension, this study will attempt to learn whether non-invasive brain stimulation can be a successful method of treating schizophrenia in its earliest phases (most typically manifesting in young adults). Yuhui Li, Ph.D. Need/Problem: Some psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are neurodevelopment diseases which require earlier diagnose and prevention far before the onset of symptoms. Grant Summary: This grant is innovative in that it will target the brain in early development stage to predict and prevent psychiatric disorder. Goals & Projected Outcomes: The goal of this study is to set up an animal model of schizophrenia [...]

Randomized controlled trial of pyridoxine for tardive dyskinesia Award: $99,900 To date, the only effective medications to treat the symptoms associated with schizophrenia are the “antipsychotic” class of medications. Unfortunately, these medications have many possible side effects, including involuntary muscle movements known as tardive dyskinesia (TD). There is a small body of evidence, however, to suggest that pyridoxine (also known as Vitamin B6) may help alleviate the symptoms of TD; this study will build on that research, and test whether pyridoxine represents an effective treatment. Fredrik Jarskog, M.D. Need/Problem: Involuntary muscle movements can emerge after long-term treatment with antipsychotic medications. This condition is called tardive dyskinesia (TD) and there are few treatments available for this debilitating and stigmatizing condition. Grant Summary: This project will test whether pyridoxine represents an effective treatment for [...]