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NIMH Pages about Basic Research

Publications

Neuroimaging and Mental Illness: A Window Into the Brain
Researchers use brain scans to study brain development in healthy people and people with illnesses. This publication answers frequently asked questions about what brain scans can and cannot do related to diagnosing mental illnesses.
Date: 2009
A Participant's Guide to Mental Health Clinical Research
This brochure, prepared by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), provides answers to common questions about volunteering for mental health clinical research. NIMH is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.
Date: 2009
Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me?
A fact sheet containing frequently asked questions about genome scans and genetic testing.
Date: 2008
Teenage Brain: A work in progress (Fact Sheet)
A brief overview of research into brain development during adolescence.
Date: 2001

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Science News

NIH Funds Four Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science
September 28, 2009 • Press Release
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced grants expected to total approximately $45 million to establish new Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as well as to continue support of existing centers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Southern California.
NIH Launches the Human Connectome Project to Unravel the Brain’s Connections
July 16, 2009 • Press Release
The National Institutes of Health Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is launching a $30 million project that will use cutting-edge brain imaging technologies to map the circuitry of the healthy adult human brain. By systematically collecting brain imaging data from hundreds of subjects, the Human Connectome Project (HCP) will yield insight into how brain connections underlie brain function, and will open up new lines of inquiry for human neuroscience.
Much Touted “Depression Risk Gene” May Not Add to Risk After All
June 16, 2009 • Press Release
Stressful life events are strongly associated with a person’s risk for major depression, but a certain gene variation long thought to increase risk in conjunction with stressful life events actually may have no effect, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the June 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges a widely accepted approach to studying risk factors for depression.
Key Molecule in Inflammation-Related Depression Confirmed
March 20, 2009 • Science Update
Scientists have confirmed the role of an immune-activated enzyme in causing inflammation-related depression-like symptoms in mice.
New Silvio O. Conte Centers Address Brain Development, Disorders
March 18, 2009 • Science Update
With a mandate to use innovative, multidisciplinary research approaches to address important mental health questions, four newly funded centers have begun investigations of schizophrenia, brain development, and adolescent mood disorders.

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Meeting Summaries

NIMH Institutional Training Grant Program Directors Meeting
March 02, 2009 – March 03, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland
T32 Program Directors and NIMH staff discussed the unique challenges and opportunities associated with training future NIMH investigators.
New Perspectives in the Translational Neuroscience of Late Life Mental Disorders
February 02, 2009 – February 03, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland
The goal of this workshop was to bring together basic and clinical researchers to identify key research questions relative to discovering the causes of mental disorders, and to chart mental illness trajectories to determine when, where and how to intervene.
Neuroimmunology, Brain Development, and Mental Disorders
October 02, 2008 – October 03, 2008
Washington, DC
The purpose of this workshop was to discuss the role of neuroimmunologic factors in brain development and mental disorders.
The 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health
September 25, 2008 – September 26, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
In September 2008, the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research sponsored the 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health. This year the program committee invited investigators to present original policy-relevant research that can contribute toward building a high performance mental health system.
Navigating Your Way through a Successful Research Career
September 11, 2008 – September 12, 2008
Rockville, Maryland
NIMH sponsored a workshop to provide junior investigators with the tools necessary to continue along the path of competitive research support and transition to independence.

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Director’s Updates

Linda Brady of NIMH Receives New Roadmap Compass Award
November 18, 2008
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD, presented the first individual Roadmap Compass Award on October 24, 2008 to Linda Brady, Ph.D., director of the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science at NIMH, for her leadership and coordination of the Molecular Libraries Working Group.
National Advisory Mental Health Council Workgroup Issues Nine Recommendations to Strengthen Research Training
November 10, 2008
A workgroup of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) makes nine specific recommendations to strengthen the institute’s program in research training in a new report entitled “Investing in the Future” released on November 1, 2008.
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Announces New Members
October 20, 2008
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) on October 13, 2008 announced the names of 65 new members and five foreign associates in conjunction with its 38th annual meeting.
2008 NIH Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator Awards Include Research That Promises to Improve Understanding of Mental Health and Brain Disorders
October 06, 2008
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni announced on September 22, 2008 the new recipients of the Pioneer Awards and New Innovator Awards. The awards are key components of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and support exceptionally creative scientists who take highly innovative approaches to major challenges in biomedical research.
Nakamura to Become Scientific Director for the Division of Intramural Research Programs
August 05, 2008
Twenty two years after serving in the NIMH intramural program, Richard Nakamura, PhD, has accepted the appointment of Scientific Director for the Division of Intramural Research Programs. He will leave his position as Deputy Director for NIMH effective September 28, 2008 to assume this new post.

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