Cutting-edge research on the neurocircuitry of the brain, new treatments for depression, and studies of the impact of health-related financing policy on care will be among the topics of a special research track sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting, held May 14-18 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The track sessions will offer state-of-the-science snapshots in areas of neuroscience and treatment research, along with overviews of research aimed at identifying the origins of global disparities in mental illness and access to care, and the effects of policies addressing mental health care costs. The aim of the track is to offer examples of research that represent the range of NIMH's strategic objectives, from basic and translational research to studies aimed at increasing the public health impact of this work.

Among the track sessions:

Several sessions will address current research on neural circuits. Scientists are increasingly viewing mental illnesses as the outcome of disruptions in the development of neural circuits. Speakers will describe recent research focusing on neural circuits in schizophrenia, major depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Symposia on treatment research will address novel treatments, emerging from basic research, for neurodevelopmental disorders. An innovative treatment approach, involving virtual reality training for the social difficulties that are a feature of autism, will be the subject of one talk. A seminar on new treatments for depression will include a talk on medications that can relieve depression in hours instead of weeks.

Two symposia will address research on disparities in mental illness and access to care and the impact of policies aimed at addressing economic issues in treatment.

A final symposium will focus on new approaches for classification of mental illness in the context of findings on the impact of genes and gene variants on brain function, neurodevelopment, and vulnerability or resilience to mental illness.

Source:
American Psychiatric Association