PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENETICS
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center
Ming T. Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Stephen V. Faraone, Ph.D., Jerry Fleming, M.S., John C. Simpson, Ph.D., Stephen L. Buka, Sc.D., Jill M. Goldstein, Ph.D., Michael J. Lyons, Ph.D., Larry Seidman, Ph.D., William Stone, Ph.D., Jessica Su, M.S.
The overall objective for this program of research is to clarify some of the central issues concerning the etiology, genetics and prevention of major psychiatric disorders. A multivariate approach is being used to address issues of etiology, treatment, and prevention by simultaneously studying demographics, clinical features, course, neuropsychology, pathophysiology, and family data. The study of neuropsychological function in schizophrenia has become an integral part of this research program. This neuropsychological approach has also been applied to the biological relatives of schizophrenics in an effort to uncover neuropsychological risk indicators. This research group is currently building on this work to better understand the neural substrates of schizotaxia (the predisposition to schizophrenia) and how they lead to schizophrenia. The two major aims of this research are: 1) to identify predictors of social dysfunction and psychopathology in adolescent and young adult children and siblings of patients with schizophrenia and 2) to better describe the neural substrate of schizophrenia prior to the onset of psychosis and lay the foundation for work that will examine if neurodegeneration occurs after illness onset. Ongoing work also includes two large-scale projects located in Taiwan and China. In the first project, which is funded by NIMH, 900 sib-pairs with schizophrenia are being studied for the purpose of conducting a genome scan to find loci for schizophrenia. The goal of the second project, which is funded by NIDA, is to detect one or more genes responsible for the genetic transmission of risk factors for heroin dependence. Ongoing major projects also include: 1) the neurodevelopmental study of schizophrenia; 2) twin studies of vulnerability to alcoholism; 3) functional and structural MRI studies of brain abnormalities in schizophrenics; 4) sex and structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia; 5) effects of glucose on memory and brain function in schizophrenia; 6) genetic linkage studies of Attention Deficit Disorder; and 7) the relationship between spirituality and combat trauma in Vietnam era veterans.
Key Words. Epidemiology, genetics, schizophrenia, neuropsychology, twin studies, linkage studies, prevention.
Grant Support. NIMH-2R01-MH43518, Schizophrenia: Psychopathology & Heterogeneity (MTT); NIMH-R01-MH59624, A Genetic Linkage Study of Schizophrenia (MTT); NIMH-R25-MH60485, Training in Psychiatric Genetics (MTT); NIMH-RO1-MH50647, Neurodevelopmental Study of Schizophrenia III (MTT); NIDA-R01-DA12846, Molecular Genetics of Heroin Dependence (MTT); Campaign for Forgiveness Research - Forgiveness, Spirituality and Combat Trauma (MTT); NIAAA-R01-AA10586, Twin Study of Vulnerability to Alcoholism (MJL); NIMH-R01-MH56956, Sex and Structural Brain Abnormalities in Schizophrenia (JMG); NIMH-R01-MH57934, Testing the Validity of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (SVF); NIMH-R01-HD37694, A Genetic Linkage Study of Children with ADHD (SVF); NARSAD - Are Medial Limbic and Prefrontal Brain Abnormalities Unique to Schizophrenia? A Functional and Structural MRI Study Using a Bipolar Sibpair Design (LS).
Project Sites: Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health; Lab. of Neuropsychology, MMHC: Depts. Epidemiol. & Biostats., HSPH., Brockton VA Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital MRI Center.
Project Director. Ming T. Tsuang, M.D., Ph.D., Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry, Director, Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, Superintendent and Head, Harvard Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center, 74 Fenwood Road., Boston, MA 02115.
Contact Person: Jerry Fleming, Res. Admin. (508)583-4500 x1696 or email: Jerry.Fleming@med.va.gov
Training Opportunities: A range of opportunities are available for pre- and post-doctoral students from HMS, HSPH or other programs with interests in epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, high risk studies, or clinical research.
Representative Publications.
Tsuang MT. Genes, environment, and mental health wellness. Am J Psychiatry, 2000;157(4):489-491.
Tsuang MT. Schizophrenia: genes and environment. Biol Psychiatry. 2000;47(3):210-220.
Tsuang MT, Stone WS, Faraone SV. Toward reformulating the diagnosis of schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2000;147:1041-1050.
Tsuang MT, Stone WS, Faraone SV. "Towards the prevention of schizophrenia." Biol Psychiatry 2000;48(5): 349-356.
Tsuang MT. Defining alternative phenotypes of genetic studies: what can we learn from schizophrenia? Am J Med Genet (Neuropsychiatric Genetics). 2001;105(1):8-10.