Sophie E. Holmes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology, has been named a recipient of the Rafaelsen Young Investigators Award from the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP).
The award was established in 1986 to promote the attendance of young scientists at the 15th CINP World Congress. This year’s recipients will enjoy complimentary registration and three nights of accommodations at the 35th CINP World Congress in Tokyo scheduled for May 23-26, 2024.
Holmes will have the opportunity to present research at the event. She is an expert in molecular neuroimaging and was nominated for the award by John Krystal, MD, chair of the Yale Department of Psychiatry.
Krystal wrote that Holmes is a strong candidate for the award based on two key contributions:
- The in vivo characterization of synaptic deficits in major depression;
- The first human evidence that the rapid antidepressant ketamine rapidly restores synaptic integrity in depressed patients with synaptic deficits.
Krystal wrote that Holmes has “already made distinctive and impactful contributions to our understanding of the neurobiology and treatment of depression and (posttraumatic stress disorder). To do so, she has drawn on molecular imaging, functional imaging, and post-mortem studies.”
Holmes is co-principal investigator of a study funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research that is conducting the first clinical trial of ketamine to treat depression in people with Parkinson’s disease.