The microstructure of white matter in the brain could be an important risk marker for psychosis, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has received an additional $4 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to study the evolution of hippocampal dysfunction in the early stage of psychosis.
Specific regions of the thalamus — a central brain region — are smaller in adults with psychotic disorders and youth at risk for psychotic disorders and are associated with cognitive impairment.
Studies of relational memory function may reveal novel mechanisms for therapeutic intervention for patients in the early stages of psychosis.
Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital has opened a new inpatient unit focused primarily on patients in the early stage of a psychotic disorder and on patients who need the most comprehensive diagnostic clarity and close monitoring.
Functional MRI studies have revealed that targeting activation of certain brain regions may improve working memory and cognition in psychotic disorders.