Patrick D. Skosnik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, has been awarded the prestigious 2017 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
Along with his collaborator, Mohini Ranganathan, MBBS, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Skosnik will examine the ketamine and cannabis models of schizophrenia. Utilizing EEG, he will study how the glutamate and cannabinoid systems interact by probing the separate and combined effects of ketamine and THC on neural oscillations in humans.
The grant is for two years, beginning September 15, 2017.
Skosnik is trained as a behavioral neuroscientist and electrophysiologist, and studies the neurochemical substrates of psychosis, particularly in relation to the human cannabinoid system. He uses EEG, PET, and MRI to elucidate how perturbations in neural network function affect perception and cognition in schizophrenia.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is dedicated to identifying the causes, improving treatments, and developing prevention strategies for mental illnesses that affect an overwhelming one-in-four people in the United States. Each year, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awards approximately 40 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants to mid-career scientists from institutions across the globe for basic research to understand what happens in the brain to cause mental illness. All donor contributions for research are invested in NARSAD grants.