Angus C. Nairn, Ph.D., Paul J. Lombroso, M.D., John H. Krystal, M.D.

Three Yale School of Medicine researchers investigating schizophrenia, depression and Tourette syndrome recently received Distinguished Investigator Awards from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. The one-year grants are intended to encourage study of areas of neuropsychiatric research that present special opportunities for discovery.

Angus C. Nairn, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, is studying brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which has been implicated in several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and depression.

Paul J. Lombroso, M.D., the Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry in the Child Study Center, will use an animal model to investigate the molecular events associated with Tourette syndrome, a childhood disorder characterized by repetitive movements and vocalizations.

John H. Krystal, M.D., the Robert L. McNeil Jr. Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and professor of psychiatry, will use functional magnetic resonance imaging to collect pilot data on 20 healthy human subjects to determine whether certain brain receptors are related to the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.