Molecular Mechanisms of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are disorders of the brain that include a behavioral component, and due to disruptions in neural functions, a cognitive component is often involved.

Disorders of this type include:

In order to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders and build towards novel therapeutic interventions, researchers in the Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy are working to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive behavioral manifestations of neural compromise.

Areas of interest include:

• Cell biology
• Circuit modifications
• Developmental influences
• Epigenetic underpinnings
• Metabolic drivers
• Neuroendocrine contributions
• Neuroimmune mediators
• Sex differences
• Transcriptional regulators

Techniques used to investigate the molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders include:

• Biochemistry and molecular biology
• Brain-region targeted, viral-mediated gene transfer
• Cell culture
• CRISPR and neuroepigenetic editing
• Flow cytometry
• Histology
• Hormone and hormone receptor assessments
• Mitochondrial function assays
• RNA, ChIP, and ATAC-Seq
• Rodent behavior
• Stereology