Department of Neuroscience
Overview

Neuroscience is one of the largest departments at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and conducts a range of basic and clinical studies. It has two center grants, and one developing Center grant. The NIMH-funded Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders: The Neurobiology of Suicidal Behavior investigates risk factors for suicidal behavior in mood disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. The Conte Center utilizes human postmortem studies and translational approaches such as novel PET tracers for brain imaging, new peptide assays in cerebrospinal fluid, and an investigation of candidate genes and basic biological and cognitive endophenotypes.

The Stanley Medical Research Institute's Center for Applied Neuroscience of Bipolar Disorders uses neurochemical postmortem studies to examine the neurobiology of bipolar disorders and to inform the design and goals of functional imaging studies in bipolar clinical studies. Other major areas of clinical investigation have been the biological basis of mood and psychotic disorders, the action of antidepressants and other psychotropics, regulation of synaptic function, molecular recognition studies of transporters and monoamine receptors, and risk factors for suicidal behavior. Basic studies have involved studies of the serotonin and dopamine systems and the action of antipsychotics and antidepressants.