May 13, 2013

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods and much more.

But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression — even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.

It’s the first direct evidence of altered circadian rhythms in the brain of people with depression, and shows that they operate out of sync with the usual ingrained daily cycle. The findings, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, come from scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School and other institutions.

Read the full article at UofMHealth.org
Read the abstract of the journal publication at PNAS

October 15, 2012

A pair of University of Michigan mental health researchers who are partners in both research and life have won a prestigious national prize for their studies on the biological roots of emotions, mental illness and substance abuse.

Huda Akil, Ph.D., and Stanley J. Watson, M.D., Ph.D., who co-direct the U-M Medical School’s Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute (MBNI), were awarded the 2012 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The prize, which consists of a medal and $20,000, was presented at the IOM’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Read the full article at UofMHealth.org

The Institute of Medicine today awarded the 2012 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health to Huda Akil and Stanley J. Watson, co-directors of the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in recognition of their individual and collaborative efforts to elucidate the neural underpinnings of emotions, mental illnesses, and substance abuse. Akil’s and Watson’s work has revealed key aspects of the molecules and neurobiological circuitry behind pain and stress and substantially expanded understanding of mood disorders, addiction, and other conditions, pointing the way to new targets for treatment and prevention. In addition, they have developed research tools and models that have been widely adopted in the neuroscience field. The Sarnat Prize, which consists of a medal and $20,000, was presented to the pair at IOM’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Read the full press release at NationalAcademies.org

The Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum is honoring Dr. William Bunney with its prestigious Pioneers in Psychopharmacology Award, bestowed annually upon three individuals who’ve made globally recognized contributions to the field’s growth. Bunney, a Distinguished Professor of psychiatry & human behavior at UCI’s School of Medicine, has furthered the understanding of mood disorders. His early research helped establish lithium’s effectiveness in treating bipolar disorder, and his efforts led to official approval of the drug for the condition.

Read the full article at the UCI website »

Edward (Ted) G Jones died unexpectedly on 6 June 2011 while attending a meeting at UCLA Medical Center. He was 72 years of age.

Ted Jones distinguished himself in many areas of neuroscience.

“The modern view of schizophrenia as a disorder of cortical microcircuitry evolved out of this work, which was conducted through his role in the Pritzker Consortium.”

Read the full article »

Huda Akil, Ph.D. of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Robert C. Malenka, Ph.D., M.D. of Stanford University School of Medicine join nine other Scientific Council Members on the National Academy of Sciences. Election to NAS membership is one of the highest honors that can be accorded to a scientist and recognizes those who have made distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Read the full article at the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation »

December 27, 2011 – Huda Akil – The Washington Times

When I was growing up in Damascus, the notion that a little Syrian girl could become a scientist seemed like an impossible dream. Then I read the story of Marie Curie and her move from Poland to France to study physics, and I became obsessed with the thought of some day going to Paris to study science. One evening, my parents were indulgently telling a family friend about my wild ambitions when he turned to me and said: “If you want to dream big, dream about going to America. That’s where great science happens these days.”

Read the full article at washingtontimes.org »

November 18, 2011 – Thomas Insel – National Institute of Mental Health

Anyone who wonders about the vitality of our field should have attended the Society for Neuroscience meeting here in Washington, DC, this week. Over 32,000 neuroscientists, many of them under 30, descended on Washington for five days of lectures, symposia, and posters about the nervous system. Having attended this meeting almost every year since 1982, this year I was struck by the increasing interest in neuropsychiatric disorders, especially autism and schizophrenia.

Read the full article at nimh.nih.gov »

William E. Bunney, M.D., is receiving the 2011 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize for his groundbreaking research in depression and schizophrenia.

Read the full announcement »

October 14, 2011 – Carnegie Corporation of New York

The recipients of the 2011 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which recognizes philanthropists who, like Andrew Carnegie, believe in dedicating their private wealth to the public good, were announced today by Carnegie Corporation of New York. They are: the Crown Family; the Danforth Family; Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller; Li Ka-shing; Fred Kavli; the Lauder Family: Evelyn and Leonard Lauder, Jo Carole and Ronald Lauder; Pamela and Pierre Omidyar; the Pew Family; and the Pritzker Family.

Read the full article at carnegie.org »