Research News
Greden honored for advancement of depression and bipolar research
John F. Greden, M.D., executive director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Gerald R. Klerman Senior Investigator award from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). The award recognizes Greden’s significant contributions to research that improves the lives of people living with mood disorders. Greden [...]
Center’s research on stem cells and bipolar disorder supported by new gift
With the help of a recent $1 million commitment, the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center will continue its mission to unravel the unknowns about bipolar disorder using stem cell lines developed from skin cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells The donation establishes the Steven M. Schwartzberg Memorial Fund at the Depression Center, and the initial [...]
Sen receives inaugural Stern research award
Srijan Sen, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, has been named the first recipient of the Oscar Stern Award for Depression Research. The goal of this award is to transform the quality of life of those living with depression or bipolar disorder by promoting innovative and translational research by Depression Center members. Dr. Sen’s project [...]
Novick named inaugural Jenkins award recipient
Danielle M. Novick, Ph.D., a U-M psychiatry research fellow, is the recipient of the first Phil F. Jenkins Award, an award established through the Depression Center to spur creative advances in the treatment or self-management of depression by empowering students and faculty to bring original ideas to life. Dr. Novick’s project will identify ways that [...]
U-M evaluating brain stimulation technique for depression treatment
U-M researchers have successfully completed the first surgical implantation of a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) system as part of a nationwide clinical trial examining DBS’s ability to help patients with severe depression that has not improved after multiple treatments. A DBS system uses a neurosurgically implanted medical device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to small, [...]
New trends in treating bipolar disorder
Melvin McInnis, M.D., principal investigator of the Prechter Bipolar Research Fund, and an associate director of the Depression Center, was quoted in a dailyRX article on advances in medications used to treat bipolar disorder. “We’ve got a new generation of medication with fewer side effects, but the long-term challenges remain pretty high,” McInnis said. Read [...]
Exploring human genetics to advance depression research
Srijen Sen, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and a member of the Depression Center, examines variations in genetic profiles to learn more about depression risk and help improve the prevention and treatment of depressive illnesses. Read more about his work in this profile from the Michigan Institute for Clinical Health Research.
New link between genetics, alcoholism and the brain
Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute researchers have uncovered a new link between genetic variations associated with alcoholism, impulsive behavior and a region of the brain involved in craving and anxiety. The results, published online in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that variations in the GABRA2 gene contribute to the risk of alcoholism by influencing impulsive behaviors, at [...]
Akil elected to National Academy of Sciences
Huda Akil, Ph.D., Co-Director of the University of Michigan’s Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Gardner C. Quarton Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences in the Department of Psychiatry at the U-M Medical School, and a member of the U-M Depression Center, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest [...]
Marcus to receive award for championing child health
Sheila M. Marcus, M.D., is one of three “outstanding champions of children’s health” who will be honored by the nonprofit organization Michigan’s Children at the “Heroes at Sunrise” awards breakfast on May 17. In naming the criteria for Marcus’ nomination, the organization cites her career research focus on mental health at U-M, specifically in understanding [...]
