Pittenger Awarded 2025 Distinguished Investigator Grant From BBRF

Christopher J. Pittenger, MD, PhD, Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry, has been awarded a Distinguished Investigator Grant by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF).

Pittenger and members of his research team investigate rare, potentially causal mutations in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The team recently identified the first such mutation, in a gene called Scube1. Recapitulating this mutation in a mouse leads to repetitive behaviors and cognitive inflexibility.

The BBRF grant, totaling $100,000 over one year, will fund a project to further characterize the model, seeking insights into consequences of the mutation that can then be investigated in patients.

Pittenger is one of 10 senior-level scientists awarded grants through the BBRF’s Distinguished Investigator Grants program. The awards are funded by the WoodNext Foundation, which has committed $5 million over five years to support medical

research.

“Mental illnesses affect millions of individuals and families, yet there is still so much to learn about the underlying biology and potential treatments,” said Jeffrey Borenstein, MD, president and CEO of BBRF. “By supporting bold, high-risk research, our Distinguished Investigator Grants empower leading scientists to pursue innovative ideas that could pave the way for major breakthroughs in preventing, diagnosing, and treating psychiatric illnesses.

BBRF is a significant supporter of scientific research. Since 1987, it has awarded more than $462 million to fund more than 5,600 leading scientists around the world.

Pittenger holds several positions at Yale School of Medicine and in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. He is deputy chair for translational research in psychiatry and director of the following programs: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Yale Program for Psychedelic Science, Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale OCD Research Clinic, and Neuroscience Research Training Program.