Office of the Scientific Director

National Institute Of Mental Health

Investigators

Abstract

The NIMH Division of Intramural Research Programs' (DIRP) scientists conduct research ranging from studies into the mechanisms of normal brain function at the behavioral, systems, cellular, and molecular levels, to clinical investigations into the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness. Researchers study conditions in adults and children such as anxiety, depressive, bipolar, attention deficit hyperactivity, and autism spectrum disorders, as well as schizophrenia. Approaches include experimental therapeutics; functional and molecular imaging; genetics; behavioral, cognitive, molecular and cellular neuroscience; and epidemiology. In part, because of its state-of-the-art facilities, unique funding mechanisms, and location in the nation's capital, the DIRP is viewed as a national resource, providing unique opportunities in mental health research and research training. Susan G. Amara, Ph.D., serves as the Scientific Director for the DIRP and provides oversight to a diverse mental health research portfolio that includes clinical projects on autism, women's health, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mood and anxiety disorders; and basic projects geared toward answering fundamental questions related to mental health in the areas of cognition, genetics, learning and memory, and behavior. The portfolio also includes projects aimed at exploring new technologies and approaches to neuroscience such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG). The Scientific Director provides supplemental resources, as appropriate, to research projects in the DIRP portfolio. In FY2015, a recruitment effort was undertaken to hire new faculty who would fill gaps and create synergies within the current DIRP scientific portfolio. The Scientific Director (SD) also hosted a new seminar series called, New Discoveries in Mental Health Research. The purpose of the seminar series is to help intramural scientists to learn more about innovative extramural research that is relevant to the NIMH mission, and to build new relationships with investigators outside of the Intramural Research Program (IRP). The SD also brought on board a senior advisor to oversee the strategic directions of genomic research, including leading the effort to implement the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genomic Data Sharing Policy in the NIMH DIRP.