LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY

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ANALYTIC GENOMICS LAB            CLINICAL FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS LAB

The Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry focuses on the identification of the genetic factors that increase risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as detecting genes that influence related clinical manifestations of illness including neurocognitive impairment, symptom profiles, and treatment response. The Lab utilizes innovative molecular genetic technology combined with comprehensive clinical characterization to parse out the subtle effects of genes on behavior and cognition. Moreover, the Lab collaborates with leading Centers from around the U.S to further its research, including productive relationships with Harvard, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the intramural program of the NIH. Over the past several years, the Lab has published numerous papers on the detection of genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, including one of the first genome-wide association studies of schizophrenia; reports implicating gene-gene interaction in schizophrenia; and papers on the role of specific genes on general cognitive ability, brain volumetric changes, and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

The Laboratory includes two major components: The Clinical Functional Genomics (CFG) Laboratory and the Analytic Genomics (AG) Laboratory. The CFG utilizes the modern tools of neuroscience to help understand the effects that risk forms of genes have on brains structure and function. Modalities include comprehensive assessment of clinical symptomatology, neurocognitive testing, and structural and functional brain imaging. The AG brings to bear state of the art analytic tools, and has been responsible for the development of novel approaches to understanding the contribution of genetic factors to illness susceptibility.