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:
Anxiety
Autism
Depression
Drug and alcohol abuse
Post-traumatic stress disorder
In order to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders and build towards novel therapeutic interventions, researchers in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology 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
Faculty
Peter J Hamilton, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Peter J Hamilton, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Phone: 804-628-3003
Email: peter.hamilton@vcuhealth.org
Gretchen N. Neigh (McCandless), Ph.D., MBA
Professor
Gretchen N. Neigh (McCandless), Ph.D., MBA
Professor
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Phone: 804-628-5152
Andrew K. Ottens, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Andrew K. Ottens, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Phone: 804-628-2972
Fax: 804-828-9477
Email: andrew.ottens@vcuhealth.org
Pamela E. Knapp, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Chair
Pamela E. Knapp, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Phone: 804-628-7570
Email: pamela.knapp@vcuhealth.org
Ongoing Projects
Faculty: Peter Hamilton, Ph.D.
Sponsor: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Cost: $602,540
Duration: July 1, 2018 – April 30, 2023
Project Description: The goal of this project is to utilize cutting-edge molecular tools to elucidate the causal mechanisms underlying drug-induced transcriptional regulation, contributing to the scientific knowledge of the neurobiology of drug abuse which may ultimately lead to targeted addiction therapies.
Faculty: Gretchen Neigh, Ph.D.
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health
Cost: $1,977,652
Duration: July 12, 2019 – January 31, 2021
Project Description: This project focuses on understanding the bidirectional relationship between traumatic stress and HIV pathogenesis and treatment response. The goal is to understand the mechanisms that underlying stress-induced exacerbation of HIV pathogenesis as well as the influence of the virus on the response to stress. The overall goal is to identify points of intervention to improve mental health and immunological outcomes for women living with HIV.
Faculty: Gretchen Neigh, Ph.D.
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Cost: $1,538,031
Duration: September 15, 2017 – July 31, 2022
Project Description: Despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy, women living with HIV continue to experience cognitive impairment. Psychological risk factors, including stress, impair cognition more in HIV-infected women than HIV-uninfected women. Here we examine a novel intervention for cognitive dysfunction that targets the mechanisms by which stress negatively affects cognitive functioning.
Faculty: Andrew Ottens, Ph.D.
Sponsor: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Cost: $5,272,937
Duration: August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2024
Project Description: This study will examine vascular, placental and amniotic effects of inhaled pollutants in preclinical models of vulnerability to hypertension of pregnancy.
Faculty: Andrew Ottens, Ph.D.
Sponsor: National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety
Cost: $1,600,000
Duration: September 30, 2015 – September 30, 2021
Project Description: The project address mechanisms underlying lung-vascular-brain systemic route of injury following occupational exposure to carbon nanomaterials. A key outcome of this research is identifying circulating proteolytic peptide products as bioactive mediators in driving cerebrovascular dysfunction and neuroinflammation.