Seven Yale investigators have received Young Investigator Grants from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD). The grants are among $11.8 million in new funding intended to lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating mental illness.
Receiving up to $60,000 over two years, Young Investigator grantees pursue research related to depression, schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, attention-deficit hyperactivity, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
NARSAD Young Investigator Grants have proven to be catalysts for additional funding once the investigators have "proof of concept" for their hypotheses.
Since 1987, when the first NARSAD grants were announced, Yale researchers have received 158 Young Investigator, 25 Independent Investigator, and 21 Distinguished Investigator awards from the organization.
In addition, nine members of the Yale School of Medicine faculty currently serve on the foundation's Scientific Council.
2013 Yale Recipients
Michael H. Bloch, M.D., M.S.
Program area: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Project title: "Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of N-Acetylcysteine for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder"
Gianfilippo Coppola, Ph.D.
Program area: Autism
Project title: "Integrative Regulatory Network Analysis of iPSCs Derived Neuronal Progenitors from Macrocephalic ASD Individuals in a Family-based Design"
June Gruber, Ph.D.
Program area: Bipolar Disorder
Project title: "Reward Regulation in Bipolar Disorder: Neural Mechanisms and Prognostic Significance"
Swapnil Gupta, M.D.
Program area: Addiction/Cannabis
Project title: "Effect of N-acetylcysteine on the Acute Cognitive Effects of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol"
Eli R. Lebowitz, Ph.D.
Program area: Anxiety Disorder
Project title: "Motion Tracking for the Study of Avoidance in Anxiety Disorders"
Gyorgy Lur, Ph.D.
Program area: Multiple – Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Bipolar, PTSD
Project title: "Adrenergic Control of Excitatory Synaptic Transmission in the Prefrontal Cortex"
Natalina Salmaso, Ph.D.
Program area: Anxiety Disorder
Project title: "The Role of FGF2 in Anxiety Behavior"