UCLA receives $22.5 million to explore the fundamental biology of mental...(isorders that make communication difficu...),Health
isorders that make communication difficult.
We so far lack markers to identify more fundamental deficits, he said. We need to drill down and get closer to the specific level where a gene might be responsible for the process.
That is the goal of the consortium, which will target the behavioral and cognitive functions thought to underlie such neuropsychiatric syndromes as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In a departure from science-as-usual, the consortium will aim to discover the underpinnings of basic, healthy functioning systems such as memory and impulse control rather than concentrating on the genetic anomalies that may be associated with the neuropsychiatric disorders themselves. By focusing on these healthy brain systems, the researchers hope to accelerate the discovery of genes that are relevant to mental disorders and to find new treatments.
Employing a broad approach to attacking this problem, the consortium team comprises 52 investigators, many affiliated with the Semel Institute but cutting widely across campus disciplines as well, with members from the fields of psychiatry, neurology, neurobiology, human genetics, psychology and computer science collaborating and sharing data. Subawards will support research in Finland (at the universities of Helsinki and Oulu), at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and at the Medical University of South Carolina.
This interdisciplinary approach is a major goal of the consortium, which is one of nine nationwide being funded by the NIHs Roadmap for Medical Research program. The Roadmap program is designed not only to address health challenges that have been resistant to traditional research approaches but to fundamentally change how research is conducted, by integrating a wide range of disciplines to attack a problem. As opposed to multidisciplinary research, which involves teams of scientists approaching a problem from with
'/>"/>
| Contact: Mark Wheeler mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-2265 University of California - Los Angeles Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. Infant receives first bloodless liver transplant
2. Fifth US Patient Receives Artificial Heart
3. Northfield Labs Receives FDA Comments
4. British MPs Say Prostate Cancer Receives Low Priority in the NHS
5. Abbott Receives CE Mark Certification
6. Zactima Receives Fast Track Designation By The FDA
7. East London Receives World Class New Private Hospital Facility
8. Brinda Karat Receives Legal Notice over Ramdev Issue
9. Quake-Hit Pakistan Receives 30 Field Hospitals From Cuba
10. Medtronic’s Insulin Pump Receives Regulatory Approva
11. Aurobindo Receives Approval from USFDA for anti-AIDS drug
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |