Joseph Piven, MD, the Thomas E. Castelloe Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities was given the award for his fundamental contributions to research on autism spectrum disorders.

Lauren Schiff, MD, a gynecologic surgeon at the UNC School of Medicine, and Ashley Hester, PhD, a psychologist at the UNC TEACCH Autism Program, outline simple ways physicians can improve quality of care for autistic patients – and how these methods can help everyone who comes into the office.

With a designation from the FDA, a device created and patented by Flavio Frohlich, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, is one step closer to being available for patients.

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial finds that low-dose semaglutide reduces amount of alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, and heavy drinking days. Reductions in cigarettes per day were also seen.

Building off previous groundbreaking research, a new study identifies specific genetic variants that have significant impacts on brain development and are shared across eight different psychiatric disorders. Targeting these variants could pave the way for treatments that address multiple conditions at once.

Physicians need more training to improve care for autism patients, UNC School of Medicine OBGYN Dr. Lauren Schiff writes in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Athena Stein, postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Flavio Frohlich, PhD, professor of psychiatry, is developing next-generation non-invasive brain stimulation treatments alongside her new family in the lab.

The lab of Jason Stein, PhD, associate professor of genetics and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, has created a controlled model system that could help researchers identify the context-dependent functions of genetic variants that increase one’s risk for developing a psychiatric disorder, such as schizophrenia.

The National Institutes of Mental Health awarded a $2.5-million grant to UNC School of Medicine researchers Adam Bryant Miller, PhD, and Andrea Pelletier-Baldelli, PhD, in the UNC Department of Psychiatry, to study the alarming rise of suicidal behavior in young girls.

In a small pilot study, UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Flavio Frohlich, PhD, used a new closed-loop system to measure the electrical brain patterns of individual patients and then stimulate those patterns with a weak electrical current, resulting in significantly improved symptoms of major depressive disorder.

A new review article written by Patrick Sullivan, MD, FRANZCP, the Yeargan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics, outlines the genetic foundations for schizophrenia.

Christian Hendershot, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Clinical and Translational Addiction Research Program at the UNC School of Medicine, presented early findings from the first completed randomized controlled trial of semaglutide for reducing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers.

Tag: Psychiatry

Piven Earns Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Autism Research

Autistic Patients Need Better Care, Accommodations in the Medical Office

FDA Grants Breakthrough Device Designation for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Device to Treat Major Depressive Disorder

Semaglutide Shows Promise in Reducing Cravings for Alcohol, Heavy Drinking

Eight Psychiatric Disorders Share the Same Genetic Causes, Study Says

Schiff Provides Perspective on Quality of Care for Autistic People

How an Australian Researcher Found Her Home at UNC-Chapel Hill

Researchers Create New System to Decode Genetic Risk for Psychiatric Disorders

UNC Researchers Take on Suicide Risk in Preteen Girls

Personalized Brain Stimulation Significantly Decreases Depression Symptoms

Researchers Highlight the Genetic Complexity of Schizophrenia

Clinical Trial on Semaglutide Shows Promise for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder, Warrants Further Trials