Schizophrenia

There is growing evidence that disorders such as autism and schizophrenia involve deficits in what is called “multi-sensory processing,” the ability of the brain to properly integrate information coming in through the eyes, ears and other senses. Read More

Vanderbilt University is partnering with the William K. Warren Foundation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on research aimed at improving the treatment of schizophrenia and other forms of serious mental illness. Read More

Catatonia, a syndrome characterized by muscular rigidity and a trance-like mental stupor, can at times manifest with great excitement and confusion. And while it is often associated with schizophrenia, it can present in patients with either medical or psychiatric conditions. For this reason, the condition has often confused clinicians. Read More

Although heteromeric dopamine receptors composed of both D1 and D2 subunits have been proposed to play a role in depression and schizophrenia, recent studies suggest these heteromers do not exist. Read More

A “transformational” $6.4 million gift from Dallas couple Donald Test Jr., and his wife, Charlotte, who have a very personal connection to the devastating disease of schizophrenia, is supporting Vanderbilt Department of Psychiatry research and treatment into schizophrenia and related disorders. Read More

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic underpinnings. Vanderbilt researchers combined high-resolution gene expression studies with gene association data to reveal signaling pathways linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Read More

Drugs developed at Vanderbilt could provide a new way to treat schizophrenia in a personalized way. Read More

A brain-mapping study of patients with schizophrenia has found that areas associated with the ability to imitate are impaired, providing new support for the theory that deficits in this basic cognitive skill may underlie the profound difficulty with social interactions that characterize the disorder. Read More

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and Vanderbilt University have discovered a “missing link” in the structure of a transmembrane receptor that could lead to new treatments for autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Children with autism spectrum disorders have trouble integrating simultaneous information from their eyes and their ears--as if they experience the world like a badly-dubbed movie. Read More

Vanderbilt University investigators for the first time have linked a non-inherited, de novo mutation in the dopamine transporter to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Read More

Several Vanderbilt researchers have collaborated with this year's Nobel Chemistry winners. Read More

When discovering drugs for brain disorders, it’s important to test the candidates in multiple ways to avoid advancing those with restricted physiological effects. Read More

Identification of brain regions involved in processing sights and sounds may offer insights into disorders like autism and dyslexia. Read More

A new brain imaging study that has found an individual’s willingness to work hard to earn money is strongly influenced by the chemistry in three specific areas of the brain. Read More

Vanderbilt University has emerged as one of the nation’s leading academic centers in neuroscience. Read More

Sohee Park's schizophrenia research may lead to a greater understanding of the benefit of movement therapies such as yoga and dance for the 2.2 million people in the United States who suffer from this mental disorder. Read More

Brain deficits are not present in the early stages of schizophrenia, suggesting it may be possible to delay or prevent the development of brain abnormalities. Read More

A new analytical tool points to genes that act together to increase disease risk. Read More

Sohee Park’s research explores the impaired and enhanced abilities of the schizophrenic brain Sohee Park (John Russell/Vanderbilt) The “rubber hand illusion” is not a new scientific method, but Sohee Park has used it to make some groundbreaking discoveries about schizophrenia. RHI, which was discovered in 1998, is… Read More