Sarah Hart receives NARSAD Young Investigator Award.
SOM researchers win NARSAD Young Investigator grants
Sarah J. Hart, Ph.D., will use functional neuroimaging to assess how neural activation in prefrontal cortical circuitry in the brain is modulated by stress, and whether individuals with schizophrenia and familial risk show differences in these interactions. Greater susceptibility to stress may explain some of the cognitive difficulties experienced by individuals with schizophrenia. Dr. Hart hypothesize that the group with schizophrenia will show the most severe disruption during stress, with reduction in prefrontal cortical circuit activity, and that those with familial high risk will show an intermediate level of susceptibility, but significantly greater stress-related disruption of prefrontal activity than the controls. The goal is to enhance understanding of how stress may contribute to the cognitive difficulties in schizophrenia, and whether changes in these mechanisms may reflect a risk marker for the disease.
