Meeting Summaries about Basic Research

Neurobiobank Meeting Summary

May 14, 2012 – May 15, 2012
Rockville, MD
On May 14-15, 2012, NIMH, NICHD, and NINDS convened a meeting of brain banking experts from across the United States and with experts from the European Union’s Brain Banking network, BrainNet Europe. The goal of the meeting was to discuss issues related to the efforts by the three Institutes to take a more integrated and coordinated approach to brain banking in the U.S.

Navigating Your Way through a Successful Research Career: An NIMH Workshop for Early Stage Investigators

July 05, 2011 – July 06, 2011
Rockville, Maryland
On July 5-6, 2011, the Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH), in the Office of the Director of NIMH, sponsored a workshop for early stage investigators currently supported by Diversity and Re-entry Supplements, to provide the investigators with the tools necessary to continue along the path of competitive research support and the transition to independence. The workshop aimed to instill the importance of producing innovative research within the overall mission of the NIMH in these promising early career researchers. Content of the workshop emphasized issues relating to grantsmanship and strategies for successfully navigating obstacles and developing potential solutions on the journey to a successful research career.

The Maturation of Functional Brain Networks: Insight into the Origins and Course of Mental Disorders

January 27, 2011 – January 28, 2011
Washington, D.C.
Neural networks are a fundamental property of normal brain function, and dysregulated brain activity has been implicated in a wide array of mental disorders. In January 2011, NIMH convened a multi-disciplinary workshop of experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges of studying the maturation of neural networks in healthy and clinical populations. The workshop focused on non-invasive research tools, structure-function relationships, typical and atypical development, personalized biomarkers, and developmental connectivity maps.

Using Stem Cells to Model Psychiatric Disorders: NIH Grantees Meeting

October 26, 2010
Bethesda, Maryland
In October 2010, the NIMH convened a meeting of NIH grantees who use stem cells, particularly those derived from patients, as tools to identify fundamental molecular and cellular defects and the role of altered developmental processes in psychiatric disorders.

Research Careers in Global Mental Health

July 30, 2010
Bethesda, Maryland
On July 30, 2010, the Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH) in the Office of the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invited students, post-doctoral trainees, and early stage investigators, as well as researchers, educators, practitioners, and federal government staff to discuss research careers in global mental health. This gathering of trainees and researchers occurred in response to the rapidly growing interest in global mental health as a career option.

Navigating Your Way through a Successful Research Career: An NIMH Workshop for Early Stage Research Investigator

June 07, 2010 – June 08, 2010
Bethesda, Maryland
On June 7-8, 2010, the Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH), in the Office of the Director of NIMH, sponsored a workshop for early stage research investigators currently supported by Diversity Supplements, to provide the investigators with the tools necessary to continue along the path of competitive research support and the transition to independence.

Closing the Gaps: The Role of Research in Reducing Mental Health Disparities in the U.S.

May 05, 2010
Bethesda, Maryland
On May 5, 2010, the Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH) in the Office of the Director of NIMH convened a meeting of representatives of key federal agencies and thought leaders from a range of fields—including genetics, cultural neuroscience, epidemiology, psychology, clinical psychiatry, and community-based services and intervention research—to discuss novel directions that, if investigated empirically, could foster the reduction of mental health disparities across race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and geography.

NIMH Institutional Training Grant Program Directors Meeting

March 02, 2009 – March 03, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland
T32 Program Directors and NIMH staff discussed the unique challenges and opportunities associated with training future NIMH investigators.

New Perspectives in the Translational Neuroscience of Late Life Mental Disorders

February 02, 2009 – February 03, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland
The goal of this workshop was to bring together basic and clinical researchers to identify key research questions relative to discovering the causes of mental disorders, and to chart mental illness trajectories to determine when, where and how to intervene.

Neuroimmunology, Brain Development, and Mental Disorders

October 02, 2008 – October 03, 2008
Washington, DC
The purpose of this workshop was to discuss the role of neuroimmunologic factors in brain development and mental disorders.

The 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health

September 25, 2008 – September 26, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
In September 2008, the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research sponsored the 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health. This year the program committee invited investigators to present original policy-relevant research that can contribute toward building a high performance mental health system.

Navigating Your Way through a Successful Research Career

September 11, 2008 – September 12, 2008
Rockville, Maryland
NIMH sponsored a workshop to provide junior investigators with the tools necessary to continue along the path of competitive research support and transition to independence.

Workshop: "Neurobiological Basis of Circadian Rhythms Interaction with Complex Behavior"

July 22, 2008 – July 23, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
The overall goal of this workshop was to encourage and further extend research on the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the association between circadian rhythms with higher brain functions and behaviors of importance to the NIMH research mission. The circadian clock controls a vast number of physiological variables, and disruptions of circadian rhythms have been implicated in psychiatric disorders. The rich progress in understanding both molecular circadian mechanism and behavioral circadian phenomenon, indicate that the field is now poised for a deeper and more mechanistic understanding of how circadian oscillators interact with brain circuits and neurotransmitter systems to influence diverse processes including emotion, cognition and social interactions.

NIH Conference on Building the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in the Service of Public Health

September 10, 2007 – September 11, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
OBSSR, NCI, NIDA, NIAAA, NICHD, and NIMH sponsored the first of five annual meetings on the state of the science of dissemination and implementation research.

Roundtable on Mood Disorders and Hormonal Transitions

July 28, 2007
Washington, D.C.
NIMH co-sponsored the roundtable with the Society for Women’s Health Research. The meeting brought together experts in the areas of postpartum and perimenopause related depression, in order to share information regarding research in mood disorders associated with reproductive hormone change.

NIMH Annual International Research Conference on the Role of Families in Preventing and Adapting to HIV/AIDS

July 25, 2007 – July 27, 2007
San Francisco, California
NIMH and the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at UC San Francisco co-sponsored a conference in San Francisco aimed at Responding to the Social Context of HIV Risk The Role of Families and Support Networks.

Cognition and Stress: Advances in Basic and Translational Research

July 24, 2007 – July 25, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
In July 2007, the NIMH Cognition Working Group held a multidisciplinary workshop to identify major trends, gaps, and opportunities in behavioral and biological research on cognition and stress.

Mental Health Consideration in Secondary HIV Prevention

July 19, 2007 – July 20, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
The Secondary Prevention and Translation Branch of NIMH’s Center for Mental Health Research on AIDS (CMHRA) hosted a meeting that focused on identifying target areas for new research on the intersection of secondary HIV prevention and mental health, specifically related to HIV-infected individuals with psychiatric disorders living in the United States.

NeuroAIDS in Asia and the Pacific Rim

July 19, 2007 – July 20, 2007
Sydney, Australia
In conjunction with the fourth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention held in Sydney, Australia, NIMH co-sponsored a meeting to highlight the current research relating to neurological and neuropsychological complications of HIV infection in the Asia Pacific region. The meeting also assessed the impact of HIV associated opportunistic and co-infections on the nervous system.

Novel Methods for Examining Prefrontal Interactions with Cortical and Subcortical Systems that Support Complex Mental Function

July 12, 2007
Rockville, Maryland
NIMH sponsored this workshop to identify the gaps in understanding of the anatomical and functional influences of the prefrontal cortex on circuits supporting complex mental functions, and to assess technologies that could enable a more precise understanding of these brain networks.

Third Annual Meeting of the Developing Centers for the Intervention and Prevention of Suicide

July 11, 2007 – July 12, 2007
Washington, DC
NIMH, NIDA, and NIAAA co-sponsored a meeting of the Developing Centers for the Intervention and Prevention of Suicide.

Behavioral and Social Sciences Research on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

May 21, 2007
Tunis, Tunisia
The NIH Office of AIDS Research, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease sponsored a meeting to promote dialogue on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and to outline a research agenda that addresses behavioral and social science priorities for epidemiology and prevention, access to care, and treatment.

NIMH Special Symposium: Mental Illness, the Person, and Prison

May 14, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
In May 2007, NIMH hosted a symposium on the urgent problem of prisoners with serious mental illness.

Evolving Mechanisms of HIV Neuropathogenesis: Domestic and Global Issues

April 14, 2007 – April 16, 2007
Venice, Italy
NIMH co-sponsored an international meeting in Venice, Italy to discuss research on disease mechanisms that lead to chronic and milder forms of HIV-associated central nervous system (CNS) disease following long-term anti-retroviral therapy.

Partnerships to Integrate Evidence Based Mental Health Practices into Social Work Education and Research Meeting

April 03, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
In April 2007, the Division of Services and Intervention Research, the Office of Special Populations, and the Office of Constituency Relations and Public Liaison of the National Institute of Mental Health hosted a meeting in which participants shared ideas on building and expanding collaborative relationships to support the further integration of research-based mental health practices into social work education.

Second International Conference on HIV Treatment Adherence

March 03, 2007
Jersey City, New Jersey
In March 2007 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the National Institute of Mental Health and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) hosted a state-of-the-science conference focused on understanding and enhancing patient adherence to HIV treatment regimens.

Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia

February 03, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
In February 2007, the National Institute of Mental Health sponsored a conference in Bethesda, Maryland that assembled basic and clinical cognitive neuroscientists, animal modelers from academia and industry, and clinical trial experts who share a common interest in developing neuroscience-based measures for assessing cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Following invited talks by basic scientists and breakout groups involving all attendees, meeting participants suggested eight cognitive constructs for further measurement development within the areas of perception, attention, working memory, executive control, long term memory, and social-emotional processing.

Genetics and Genomics of Social Behavior Workshop

January 04, 2007 – January 05, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
The National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse co-hosted a workshop for participants to (1) become familiar with how and which model organisms are being used currently in the field of social behavior and (2) identify opportunities that will benefit public health by supporting high-impact basic research exploring the genetics of social behavior.

Promoting Indigenous Research on Suicide Prevention and Related Topics: A Workshop to Define Issues, Develop Strategies and Identify Sustaining Frameworks

November 08, 2006 – November 09, 2006
Albuquerque, New Mexico
As a follow-up to the February 2006 meeting “Indigenous Suicide Prevention Research and Programs in Canada and the United States: Setting a Collaborative Agenda” NIMH supported a workshop to further identify challenges faced by indigenous researchers.

Developing New Treatments for Tourette Syndrome: Clinical and Basic Science Dialogue

September 10, 2006 – September 12, 2006
Washington, D.C.
In September, 2006, NINDS, NIMH, ORD, and the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) jointly sponsored a workshop to develop new and improved treatments for children and adults afflicted with Tourette syndrome (TS).