Director’s Report to the National Advisory Mental Health Council - January 11, 2008

Introduction
NIH-Wide Update

Update on Electronic Submission
New Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
NIH Roadmap—Selected Updates

Epigenetics
Human Microbiome Project
Ongoing NIH Roadmap Initiatives

NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research
Neurodevelopment Blueprint Team
NIH Funds New Program to Investigate Causes and Treatment of Autism

NIMH Updates
New NIMH Initiatives

NIMH-Administered RFAs
Collaborative RFAs

Science of Note
Research Conferences and Workshops
Budget

FY 2008 Budget Request
FY 2009 President's Budget Request

Major Awards for NIMH Grantees
Major NIMH Staff Awards
Staff Changes

Arriving
Departing
Transfers and Other NIMH Staff Changes
In Memoriam

Attachment 1
Attachment 2

Introduction

I am pleased to welcome members of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) and other participants and guests to our 217th Council meeting. Since our last meeting in September, we have made progress on several fronts, which I share with you in this report.

NIH-Wide Update

Update on Electronic Submission
NIH continues to have success with the electronic submission process for grant mechanisms that have converted so far, including R01s, R03s, R21s and R34s. Transitions are still on hold for Career Development (K), Fellowship (F), Training & Development (T&D) and complex mechanisms (such as “P” Center mechanisms). The standing submission dates for February–March 2008 will use PureEdge as previously indicated. NIH plans to test the revised, Adobe-based forms with a few Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) this spring and is scheduled to complete testing in early 2008. If all goes well with the initial NIH FOAs, a full transition to Adobe will quickly follow. Grants.gov is encouraging agencies to complete their transitions to the new Adobe forms by early summer.

The Grants.gov site has links to the viewer download and system requirements on their Apply for Grants Web page. Also, testing is underway to ensure that the new Grants.gov 2007 system displays application images properly. Transitions of some remaining grant mechanisms are expected to resume in mid 2008. For more information, see the Electronic Submission Web site.

New Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
The IACC met on November 30, 2007 in Washington, D.C., for the first time since being reconstituted as part of the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-416). The IACC includes both Federal and public members who are active in research funding, services, or advocacy related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Responsibilities of the IACC include coordinating ASD research efforts, providing annual updates on research advances, and developing a strategic plan for ASD research. Keynote speakers at the meeting included Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D. Thomas Insel, M.D, Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is serving as Chairman of the IACC. The IACC approved a process plan and swift timeline of six months for developing a strategic plan for ASD research. The process plan includes multiple opportunities for stakeholder input, including scientific workshops. The IACC will meet again on March 14, 2008. For more information on the IACC, please see the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Web page.

NIH Roadmap—Selected Updates
The NIH Roadmap is a trans-NIH effort to support innovative science, stimulate interdisciplinary research, and reshape clinical research to accelerate medical discovery and improve public health. Currently, workgroups co-chaired by the Directors of NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and populated by nominees from interested Institutes are developing initiatives for “Roadmap 1.5.” A full summary of Roadmap activities can be found at the NIMH Roadmap site.

Epigenetics
The NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Program focuses on researching the origins of health and susceptibility to disease that are, in part, the result of epigenetic regulation of the genetic blueprint. This program will transform biomedical research by developing comprehensive reference epigenome maps and developing new technologies for comprehensive epigenomic analyses.

A Technical Assistance Workshop was held in December to address questions and concerns regarding funding opportunities under this program. Recently issued FOAs include:

For more information on these initiatives, see the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Funding Opportunities Web page.

Human Microbiome Project
The NIH Roadmap initiated the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) to generate resources enabling comprehensive characterization of the human microbiome and analysis of its role in human health and disease. The NIH HMP continues the practice established by the Human Genome Project of international collaboration to create a comprehensive and publicly available data set. Recently issued FOAs include:

More information on these initiatives can be found at NIH Roadmap Human Microbiome Project Funding Opportunities Web page.

Ongoing NIH Roadmap Initiatives
NIH Director’s Pioneer Awards
In September, the 13 pioneer award recipients were announced, nine of whom are involved with neuroscience:

Lisa Feldman Barrett, Ph.D., Boston College, will study how the brain creates emotional experiences like anger and happiness.
Peter Bearman, Ph.D., Columbia University, will study the role of social and environmental factors in autism.
Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital, will develop a systems neuroscience approach to study how anesthetic drugs act in the brain to create the state of general anesthesia.
Thomas R. Clandinin, Ph.D., Stanford University, will take a genetics-based approach to understanding how the brain computes.
Takao K. Hensch, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital Boston, will study the role of noncoding RNAs in brain development and as a potential treatment for brain disorders.
Frances E. Jensen, M.D., Children’s Hospital Boston, will study how seizures in early life alter the developing brain leading to cognitive disorders.
Mark J. Schnitzer, Ph.D., Stanford University, will create technology for massively parallel brain imaging to allow large-scale studies of normal and diseased neural circuits.
Gina Turrigiano, Ph.D., Brandeis University, will develop a very high-resolution microscope for probing the molecular structure of synapses.
Rustem F. Ismagilov, Ph.D., University of Chicago, will develop and validate microfluidic technologies for quantitative studies of protein aggregation and aging.

The Pioneer Awards are designed to support individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering, and possibly transformative, approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research. For further information, please see the NIH Roadmap NIH Director.s Pioneer Award Web page.

2007 NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards address two important goals: stimulating highly innovative research that has the potential for significant impact, and supporting promising new investigators. NIH announced the first group of awards for this newly created program in September, eight of which are related to neuroscience:

Ed Boyden, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will invent and study new methods of controlling the neural circuits that malfunction in neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Frances A. Champagne, Ph.D., Columbia University, will investigate the transmission of reproductive behavior across generations through genetic modifications that do not involve DNA sequence changes.
Alan Jasanoff, Ph.D., MIT, will devise genetically controlled, noninvasive methods for measuring brain activity in animals.
Kristen C. Jacobson, Ph.D., University of Chicago, will conduct a large, multiphase, multidisciplinary study of Chicago-area adolescents to determine the effects of social, biological and environmental factors on individual differences in problem behaviors.
Joanna L. Jankowsky, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, will develop a mouse model to study the function of unique brain cells that are regenerated throughout life and explore how their loss may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
James Shorter, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will develop biochemical methods to combat diseases caused by nerve degeneration, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases.
Pedro Fernandez-Funez, Ph.D., University of Texas, will use fruit flies and mice to study the biology of prions, which cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob or “mad cow” disease.
Sean Davies, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, will develop genetically engineered bacteria that could be used as dietary supplements for the long-lasting drug treatment of chronic diseases.

In contrast to the Pioneer Awards, the New Innovator Awards specifically target new investigators who have not yet received an R01 or equivalent type of NIH grant and who have had a relatively short time since receiving their doctoral degree. For more information, see the NIH Director Invests in Innovation, New Investigators Web page .

2008 Application Cycles for Pioneer and New Innovator Awards
NIH is calling for applications for 2008 NIH Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator Awards. Both programs support exceptionally creative scientists who take highly innovative, and often unconventional, approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. The press release for this announcement is available online.

Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs)
The CTSAs are a new consortium to transform how clinical and translational research is conducted, ultimately enabling researchers to provide new treatments to patients more quickly and efficiently. When fully implemented in 2012, 60 institutions will be linked together to energize the discipline of clinical and translational science. An overview of this Roadmap initiative is available online.

The following institutions received awards in the second round of CTSA funding. The descriptions of the 2007 CTSA awardees is available online.

Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio)
Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia), partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland)
University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, Texas)
University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin)
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee), partnering with Meharry Medical College
Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri)
Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, New York), partnering with Hunter College

Exploratory Centers for Interdisciplinary Research
These Centers are part of a trans-NIH Roadmap initiative, first launched in 2004, designed to lower organizational barriers that impede research and enable scientists to conduct research across disciplines, creating solutions to biomedical problems that have not been solved using traditional, disciplinary approaches. In September, it was announced that nine centers would be funded, four of which are relevant to neuroscience:

Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics-Coordinating Center—Robert Bilder, Ph.D., University of California (UC) Los Angeles.
Genomic Based Drug Discovery—Edward Scolnick, M.D.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University.
NeuroTherapeutics Research Institute—Paul Hagerman, M.D., Ph.D., UC Davis.
Interdisciplinary Research Consortium on Stress, Self-Control, and Addiction—Rajita Sinha, Ph.D., Yale University.

For more information, see the NIH Roadmap Exploratory Centers for Interdisciplinary Research Web page.

Molecular Libraries Screening Centers Network (MLSCN)
The MLSCN is in the final year of its three-year funding period and has made significant progress toward finding biologically active compounds that can be used as research tools. Since September 2007, the following MLSCN-related funding opportunities were announced:

New Methodologies for Natural Products Chemistry—Reissue of RFA-RM-05-013
Pilot-Scale Libraries (PSL) for High-Throughput Screening—Reissue of RFA-RM-05-014

For more information, see the NIH Roadmap Molecular Libraries and Imaging Funding Opportunities page.

NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research
The Neuroscience Blueprint is a framework to enhance cooperation among the 15 NIH ICs that support research on the nervous system and NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Created in 2004, the Blueprint now has more than 20 project teams steering a variety of initiatives that provide tools, resources, and training to the neuroscience research community in ways that cut across boundaries of individual ICs. The Blueprint will focus on neural development in 2008 and neural plasticity in 2009, with plans to continue the Blueprint initiative beyond Fiscal Year 2009 (FY 2009). Since September, several activities under the Blueprint have moved forward, including:

Neurodevelopment Blueprint Team
Team Leaders: Beth-Anne Sieber, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); and Bob Riddle, NINDS
This initiative seeks to better understand normal neural developmental processes as well as how aberrant developmental trajectories may impact physical and emotional health across the lifespan. One of the goals of this initiative is to create and distribute high quality monoclonal antibodies directed against neurodevelopmental antigens that can be used to study the developing nervous system. A FOA to solicit a cooperative agreement for distributing such antibodies was issued in December, with a February 16, 2008 receipt date.

NIH Funds New Program to Investigate Causes and Treatment of Autism
In October, NIH announced it will intensify efforts to find the causes of autism and identify new treatments for the disorder, through a new research program. The Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program represents a consolidation of two existing programs, the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) and Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEA) programs into a single research effort. For more information, see the press release.

NIMH Updates

Study Aims to Develop First Medications for Fragile-X Syndrome, Leading Inherited Cause of Mental Retardation

December 20, 2007 • Science Update
A new NIMH grant is enabling scientists to begin testing safety and effectiveness of potential medications for fragile-X syndrome, the most common inherited form of mental retardation. No effective medications are available for the disorder. The animal studies currently underway are designed to lay the groundwork for the first human clinical trials in subsequent phases of the research.

New Social Neuroscience Grants to Help Unravel Autism, Anxiety Disorders

October 10, 2007 • Science Update
How genes and the environment shape the brain circuitry underlying social behavior is among the questions being addressed by three newly NIMH-funded studies. The three grants combine neurobiological approaches with studies of social behaviors in both animals and humans.

Pat Levitt, Ph.D., and colleagues, Vanderbilt University, will probe the mechanisms of gene-environment interactions in social development, focusing on five brain genes implicated in autism, including genes that code for oxytocin and the MET receptor tyrosine kinase. In mice and human infants, they will determine the relationship between early social learning and later sociability.
Edward Brodkin, M.D., and colleagues, University of Pennsylvania, will follow-up on the clue that people with autism tend to have abnormally enlarged brains in childhood and an underdeveloped corpus callosum. Working with inbred mouse strains, they will explore whether similar anatomical features go along with reduced sociability — and the interplay of genetic and environmental influences on these traits.
Paul Whalen, Ph.D., and colleagues, Dartmouth College, will use functional neuroimaging in humans to build on studies showing how fearful facial expressions trigger the amygdala and related brain anxiety-processing circuitry. They will explore these questions using human social stimuli as conditioning cues.

New Collaboration Evaluates Effectiveness of Mental Illness Educational Project

September 19, 2007 • Science Update
Two new grants funded by NIMH will examine the effectiveness of educational materials designed to teach young people about mental illnesses and reduce the stigma associated with them. The two-year project is a joint endeavor between Otto Wahl, Ph.D., of the University of Hartford, and Amy Lax of the Queens/Nassau chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The partnership was developed in response to an NIMH initiative to support collaborative work between consumer, advocacy, and other community groups and researchers aimed at reducing stigma associated with mental illnesses.

Newly Funded Center Dedicated to Mental Health Research for Asian Americans

September 19, 2007 • Science Update
A new, five-year, NIMH-funded project will establish a national center to study mental health issues affecting Asian Americans. The Asian American Center on Disparities Research will be housed at UC Davis, and will coordinate a network of researchers throughout the United States studying the unique mental health challenges faced by Asian Americans.

New NIMH Initiatives

NIMH-Administered RFAs

Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders
NIMH is seeking Research Resource Center applications (U24) to support a Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders to serve as a national and international resource to the scientific community. It is expected that the Center will be comprised of an integrated team of investigators with expertise in molecular biology, computer science and information technology, statistical genetics and psychiatric genetics. A new critical feature of the Center will be the establishment of a genomic cyberinfrastructure that represents the coordinated aggregate of software, hardware and other technologies, as well as human expertise, required to support current and future discoveries in the genetics of mental disorders.
Release Date: October 23, 2007; Expiration Date: January 12, 2008
Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24)
Scientific Program Director: Thomas Lehner, M.D., MPH, Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science (DNBBS), NIMH
Programs of Excellence in Scientifically Validated Behavioral Treatment
The purpose of this R25 funding opportunity is to support curriculum development to train clinician-scientists who can develop, test, and rapidly translate into practice innovative learning-based treatments in the addictive and mental disorders. The goals in establishing the Programs of Excellence Award are to recognize and enhance current clinical training programs that teach and develop research-based clinical practices and to provide a model for clinician education nationwide.
Release Date: October 19, 2007; Expiration Date: January 18, 2008
Programs of Excellence in Scientifically Validated Behavioral Treatment (R25)
Scientific Program Director: Michael J. Kozak, Ph.D., Division of Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development (DATR), NIMH
Prefrontal Cortical Influences on Brain Systems Supporting Complex Mental Function
The purpose of this FOA is to stimulate the use of state-of-the-art electrophysiological, molecular, genetic and/or imaging techniques in animals to examine the neural mechanisms by which regions in the mature and developing prefrontal cortex interact with other cortical and subcortical systems to give rise to complex mental functions (e.g., cognition, emotion, reward, motivation). Applicants should employ sophisticated approaches that enable precise spatio-temporal manipulation of circuits to understand how the prefrontal cortex causally influences the function and development of these brain networks. This funding opportunity is being issued under R01 and R21 mechanisms.
Release Date: October 17, 2007; Expiration Date: January 12, 2008
Prefrontal Cortical Influences on Brain Systems Supporting Complex Mental Function (R01)
Prefrontal Cortical Influences on Brain Systems Supporting Complex Mental Function (R21)
Scientific Program Director: Dennis L. Glanzman, Ph.D., DNBBS, NIMH
Adapting Basic Cognitive Measures for Clinical Assessment of Schizophrenia
This FOA encourages adaptation of measures developed and tested in cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience laboratories for use in clinical assessment. Candidate measures should be selected based on established construct validity and evidence of impaired task performance in schizophrenia, or theoretical relevance to cognitive domains implicated in schizophrenia symptomatology. Methodological issues to be addressed in translational studies involving schizophrenia subjects may include: (1) standardizing task design and administration, (2) evaluating measurement properties, and (3) optimizing measures for use in clinical trials.
Release Date: October 16, 2007; Expiration Date: January 31, 2008
Adapting Basic Cognitive Measures for Clinical Assessment of Schizophrenia (R01)
Scientific Program Director: Robert Heinssen, Ph.D., ABPP, DATR, NIMH

Collaborative RFAs

Research on HIV/AIDS and Drug Use in the Multi-center AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)
This program fosters the use of small research grants (R03s) to build on an existing resource, the MACS. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will support research on clinical epidemiology related to drug use and HIV/AIDS, socio-behavioral, neuroAIDS, and medical consequences that use pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; self-contained research projects; collaborative studies linked to larger research projects; studies of statistical methodologies and modeling; and studies of new assessments and research techniques. NIMH will support similar types of studies that focus on HIV, the central nervous system, pharmacotherapeutics, and biomarker development strategies.
Release Date: November 16, 2007; Expiration Date: March 15, 2008
Research on HIV/AIDS and Drug Use in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)(R03)
Scientific Program Director: Kathy L. Kopnisky, Ph.D., Division of AIDS and Health and Behavior Research (DAHBR), NIMH
The Interaction of HIV, Drug Use, and the Criminal Justice System
This initiative solicits R01 applications linking drug abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention or treatment, and the criminal justice system. Applications should include research projects for developing interventions, descriptive research that clearly can lead to effective new interventions, or research on transporting effective interventions into practice. Criminal justice settings, as defined by this announcement, includes all phases of incarceration in jails, prisons, and juvenile justice settings, as well as community criminal justice settings and statuses of adjudication such as drug court supervision, probation, and parole. Both injection and non-injection drug use may be included. Consideration of co-morbid conditions such as a psychiatric disorder is encouraged.
Release Date: December 5, 2007; Expiration Date: February 28, 2008
The Interaction of HIV, Drug Use, and the Criminal Justice System (R01)
Scientific Program Director: Andrew Forsyth, Ph.D., DAHBR, NIMH

Science of Note

All press releases and science updates listed below can be read in full in the Science News section of the NIMH Web site. These items can also be sorted by date or subject.

Hurricane Katrina Survivors Lack Access to Mental Health Services

December 17, 2007 • Science Update
The majority of Hurricane Katrina survivors who developed mental disorders after the disaster are not receiving the mental health services they need, and many who were receiving mental health care prior to the hurricane were not able to continue with treatment.
Wang PS, Gruber MJ, Powers RE, Schoenbaum M, Speier AH, Wells KB, Kessler RC. Disruption of Existing Mental Health Treatments and Failure to Initiate New Treatment After Hurricane Katrina. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Dec 17; [Epub ahead of print].

Mental Disorders Account for Large Percentage of Adult Role Disability

October 1, 2007 • Science Update
An NIMH-funded study finds that more than half of U.S. adults have a mental or physical condition that prevents them from working or conducting their usual duties (e.g., role disability) for several days each year, and a large portion of those days can be attributed to mental disorders.
Merikangas KR, Ames M, Cui L, Stang PE, Ustun TB, Von Korff M, Kessler RC. The impact of comorbidity of mental and physical conditions on role disability in the US adult household population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Oct;64(10):1180-8.

Foreign Nativity May Not Always Protect Against Mental Disorders in the US

January 3, 2008 • Science Update
Though all Latino immigrants tend to display better overall mental health compared to their US-born counterparts, a recent study by NIMH-funded researchers has found that the protective benefits of foreign nativity vary widely across subgroups of this population.
Alegria M, Shrout PE, Woo M, Guarnaccia P, Sribney W, Vila D, Polo A, Cao Z, Mulvaney-Day N, Torres M, Canino G. Understanding differences in past year psychiatric disorders for Latinos living in the US. Soc Sci Med. 2007 Jul;65(2):214-30.

Family-centered Intervention Effectively Reduces Risky Behavior Among Hispanic Youth

December 20, 2007 • Science Update
A family-centered program that improves parent-child dynamics and family functioning is more effective at discouraging Hispanic youth from engaging in risky behavior than programs that target specific behaviors.
Prado G, Pantin H, Briones E, Schwartz SJ, Feaster D, Huang S, Sullivan S, Tapia MI, Sabillon E, Lopez B, Szapocznik J. A randomized controlled trial of a parent-centered intervention in preventing substance use and HIV risk behaviors in Hispanic adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007 Dec;75(6):914-26.

Ethnicity Predicts How Gene Variations Affect Response to Schizophrenia Medications

January 2, 2008 • Science Update
Different variations in the same gene influence how well different ethnic groups, and people within the same ethnic group, respond to various antipsychotic medications, report NIMH-funded researchers. If confirmed, their findings could one day help clinicians predict which medication is most likely to help a patient, based on his or her genetic makeup.
Campbell DB, Ebert PJ, Skelly T, Stroup TS, Lieberman J, Levitt P, Sullivan PF. Ethnic Stratification of the Association of RGS4 Variants with Antipsychotic Treatment Response in Schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jan 1;63(1):32-41.

How Schizophrenia Develops: Major Clues Discovered

October 17, 2007 • Press Release
Schizophrenia may occur, in part, because of a problem in an intermittent on/off switch for a gene involved in making a key chemical messenger in the brain, scientists have found in a study of human brain tissue.
Huang HS, Matevossian A, Whittle C, Kim SY, Schumacher A, Baker SP, Akbarian S. Prefrontal dysfunction in schizophrenia involves mixed-lineage leukemia 1-regulated histone methylation at GABAergic gene promoters. J Neurosci. 2007 Oct 17;27(42):11254-62.

Schizophrenia-related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways

December 17, 2007 • Science Update
Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists. The findings could help explain how this key chemical messenger goes awry in the disorder, which affects about 1 percent of adults.
Iizuka Y, Sei Y, Weinberger DR, Straub RE. Evidence that the BLOC-1 protein dysbindin modulates dopamine D2 receptor internalization and signaling but not D1 internalization. J Neurosci. 2007 Nov 7;27(45):12390-5.

Workplace Depression Screening, Outreach and Enhanced Treatment Improves Productivity, Lowers Employer Costs

September 26, 2007 • Press Release
Enhanced and systematic efforts to identify and treat depression in the workplace significantly improves employee health and productivity, likely leading to lower costs overall for the employer, according to an NIMH-funded study.
Wang PS, Simon GE, Avorn J, Azocar F, Ludman EJ, McCulloch J, Petukhova MZ, Kessler RC. Telephone screening, outreach, and care management for depressed workers and impact on clinical and work productivity outcomes: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2007 Sep 26;298(12):1401-11.

Depression Linked to Bone-Thinning in Premenopausal Women

November 26, 2007 • Press Release
Premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than do their nondepressed peers, a study funded in part by NIMH.
Eskandari F, Martinez PE, Torvik S, Phillips TM, Sternberg EM, Mistry S, Ronsaville D, Wesley R, Toomey C, Sebring NG, Reynolds JC, Blackman MR, Calis KA, Gold PW, Cizza G; for the Premenopausal, Osteoporosis Women, Alendronate, Depression (POWER) Study Group. Low bone mass in premenopausal women with depression. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Nov 26;167(21):2329-36.

Depressed Adolescents Respond Best to Combination Treatment

October 1, 2007 • Press Release
A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder—more than medication alone or psychotherapy alone.
March JS, Silva S, Petrycki S, Curry J, Wells K, Fairbank J, Burns B, Domino M, McNulty S, Vitiello B, Severe J. The Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS): long-term effectiveness and safety outcomes. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Oct;64(10):1132-43.

Genes Linked to Suicidal Thinking During Antidepressant Treatment

September 27, 2007 • Press Release
Specific variations in two genes are linked to suicidal thinking that sometimes occurs in people taking the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants, according to a large study led by scientists at NIMH. Depending on the particular mix inherited, these versions increased the likelihood of such thoughts from 2- to 15-fold, the study found.
Laje G, Paddock S, Manji H, Rush AJ, Wilson AF, Charney D, McMahon FJ. Genetic markers of suicidal ideation emerging during citalopram treatment of major depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Oct; 164(10):1530-8.

Depression’s Flip Side Shares its Circuitry

December 14, 2007 • Science Update
Humans tend to be overly optimistic about the future, sometimes underestimating risks and making unrealistic plans. Yet “a moderate optimistic illusion” appears to be essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health, noted NIMH-funded researchers.
Sharot T, Riccardi AM, Raio CM, Phelps EA. Neural mechanisms mediating optimism bias. Nature. 2007 Nov 1;450(7166):102-5.

Roiser JP, Levy J, Fromm SJ, Wang H, Hasler G, Sahakian BJ, Drevets WC. The Effect of Acute Tryptophan Depletion on the Neural Correlates of Emotional Processing in Healthy Volunteers. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007 Sep 19; [Epub ahead of print].

Preschoolers with Three or More Coexisting Disorders Show No Response to ADHD Medication Treatment

November 5, 2007 • Press Release
Preschoolers who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not likely to respond to treatment with the stimulant methylphenidate, regardless of dosage, if they also have three or more coexisting disorders.
Ghuman JK, Riddle MA, Vitiello B, Greenhill LL, Chuang SZ, Wigal SB, Kollins SH, Abikoff HB, McCracken JT, Kastelic E, Scharko AM, McGough JJ, Murray DW, Evans L, Swanson JM, Wigal T, Posner K, Cunningham C, Davies M, Skrobala AM. Comorbidity Moderates Response to Methylphenidate in the Preschoolers with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment Study (PATS). J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2007 Nov;17(5):563-80.

Brain Matures a Few Years Late in ADHD, But Follows Normal Pattern

November 12, 2007 • Press Release
In youth with ADHD, the brain matures in a normal pattern but is delayed three years in some regions, on average, compared to youth without the disorder.
Shaw P, Eckstrand K, Sharp W, Blumenthal J, Lerch JP, Greenstein D, Clasen L, Evans A, Giedd J, Rapoport JL. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007 Dec 4;104(49):19649-54.

Internet-based PTSD Therapy May Help Overcome Barriers to Care

November 1, 2007 • Science Update
NIMH-funded researchers recently completed a pilot study showing that an Internet-based, self-managed cognitive behavioral therapy can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, with effects that last after treatment has ended. This study supports further development of PTSD therapies that focus on self-management and innovative methods of providing care to large numbers of people who do not have access to mental health care or who may be reluctant to seek care due to stigma.
Litz BT, Engel CC, Bryant R, Papa A. A Randomized Controlled Proof-of-Concept Trial of an Internet-Based, Therapist-Assisted Self-Management Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Nov;164(11):1676-84.

Memory-sustaining Enzyme May Help Treat PTSD, Cognitive Decline

November 2, 2007 • Science Update
Chemically blocking an enzyme in a specific area in the brain’s cortex, or outer mantle, erased a long-term memory of an aversive event that rats had learned, a study funded in part by NIMH has found.
Shema R, Sacktor TC, Dudai Y. Rapid erasure of long-term memory associations in the cortex by an inhibitor of PKMzeta. Science. 2007 Aug 17;317(5840):951-3.

Behavioral Therapy Effectively Treats Children with Social Phobia

December 17, 2007 • Science Update
A behavioral therapy designed to treat children diagnosed with social phobia helped them overcome more of their symptoms than the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac).
Beidel DC, Turner SM, Sallee FR, Ammerman RT, Crosby LA, Pathak S. SET-C versus fluoxetine in the treatment of childhood social phobia. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Dec;46(12):1622-32.

Research Conferences and Workshops

All meeting summaries listed below can be read in full in the Research and Funding section of the NIMH Web site. These items can also be sorted by date or subject.

Strategies for Developing Novel Interventions for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

October 11, 2007—Bethesda, Maryland
The goal of this workshop was to explore novel treatment approaches to neurodevelopmental disorders and strategies for promoting the development of innovative therapeutic approaches.

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

September 10–11, 2007—Bethesda, Maryland
The National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Child Health and Development, OBSSR, NIDA, and NIMH sponsored the first of five annual meetings on the state of the science of dissemination and implementation research. Meeting participants discussed the theories, methods, processes and outcomes of dissemination and implementation research.

Budget

FY 2008 Budget Request
The FY 2008 President’s Budget Request for NIH was submitted to Congress on February 5, 2007. This request would provide a total NIH program level of $28,329 million, a decrease of $480 million or -1.7 percent below the FY 2007 Revised Joint Resolution. The FY 2008 request of $1,405 million for NIMH is an increase of $927 thousand or +0.1 percent over the FY 2007 Joint Resolution. NIMH actual expenditures by budget mechanism for FY 2007 and estimates for FY 2008 Omnibus are displayed in Attachment 1.

On June 7, 2007, the House of Representatives considered the Chairman’s Mark-up of the FY 2008 appropriations bill (see Attachment 2). The House bill provided an increase to NIH of $569 million or +3.7 percent over the FY 2007 Revised Joint Resolution. On June 19, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee provided $30,137 million to NIH. This represented an increase of $1,000 million or +3.4 percent over the FY 2007 level. The Senate provided an NIMH program level of $1,436 million for an increase of $32 million or +2.2 percent over the FY 2007 level.

On December 26, 2007, the FY 2008 Omnibus appropriations bill was signed. The NIH program level is $29.5 billion, about $648 million more than the FY 2007 Revised Joint Resolution. The FY 2008 bill included a 1.7 percent across-the-board rescission. Non-competing Research Project Grant (RPG) awards will receive a 1.0 percent inflationary increase in lieu of the full committed level of 3 percent for all grants, and average cost for competing RPGs increases is allowed to 1.0 percent over FY 2007.

For NIH, an additional $16 million is being invested in the new “Pathways to Independence” program (K99s/R00s) to support 10 new principal investigators using the Research Careers mechanism. This is the same amount as invested in the FY 2008 President’s Budget. Within the Research Centers, Other Research, R&D Contracts mechanisms, non-competing grants receive inflationary increases of 1 percent, not full committed levels. The FY 2008 Omnibus bill provides $1 million, $983 thousand post-rescission, for the IACC, which will be managed for NIH by NIMH. The Omnibus appropriations bill provided an NIMH program level of $1,405 million for an increase of $0.982 million or +0.1 percent over the FY 2007 Joint Resolution.

FY 2009 President’s Budget Request
The FY 2009 President’s Budget Request will become publicly available on February 4, 2008.

Major Awards for NIMH Grantees

Sara Aton, Ph.D., was awarded the prestigious Donald B. Lindsley Prize for the outstanding Ph.D. thesis in behavioral neuroscience at the 2007 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California. Dr. Aton was an NIMH predoctoral fellow while conducting graduate work with Dr. Erik Herzog at Washington University in St. Louis. Using electrophysiological, pharmacological and genetic tools, Dr. Aton investigated the mechanisms that mediate synchronization of circadian rhythms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Howard Eichenbaum, Ph.D., Professor at Boston University, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Fellowship in the AAAS is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. Dr. Eichenbaum is the principal investigator on an NIMH Conte Center grant as well as two NIMH R01s.

Mary E. Evans, Ph.D., FAAN, of the University of South Florida, was presented with the prestigious Carl A. Taube award for outstanding contributions in mental health services research by the Mental Health Section of the American Public Health Association in November 2007.

Tom McGuire, M.D., of Harvard University, received the 2006 Emily Mumford Award for outstanding contribution to mental health services research in October in New York City.

Kevin Ochsner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Columbia University, and Charan Ranganath, Ph.D., Associate Professor at UC Davis, won the 2008 Young Investigator Award from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, sharing the award with Rebecca Saxe, Ph.D., of MIT. Dr. Ochsner received the award in recognition of his contributions to social cognitive neuroscience, and Dr. Ranganath was recognized for his contributions to the cognitive neuroscience of memory. Both are principal investigators on NIMH R01s.

Prairie Technologies, Inc. (Iowa) has successfully developed the Swept Field Confocal Microscope through NIMH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds. The microscope, which enables dynamic live cell confocal imaging, was recently contracted with Nikon for world wide distribution for the next three years. The product will be integrated into Nikon’s Elements Imaging software and cameras and will be marketed by Nikon as the Live Scan swept field confocal microscope system.

Psychogenics, Inc. (New York) recently developed SmartCubeTM through NIMH SBIR funding. The SmartCube technology platform is an automated, high-throughput system for measuring physiology and behavior in live animals. Psychogenics has now partnered with Eli Lilly and Company, Sepracor Inc., Cephalon Inc. and Sosei Partner to use SmartCube in screening proprietary compounds for central nervous system therapies.

Major NIMH Staff Awards

In October, the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) Team received the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Award for Research in Depression, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Boston.

Staff Changes

Arriving:
Al Golden joined NIMH’s Office of Constituency Relations and Public Liaison in December as the new Director of the Outreach Partnership Program. Prior to coming to NIMH, Mr. Golden served as Public Health Advisor with NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), where he coordinated the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board, managed a portion of the NHLBI sleep research grant portfolio, and represented the Institute on several working groups and committees. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in public health policy and administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He has also worked in leadership positions with local two local health departments, the University of Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the American Public Health Association.

John Ohab, Ph.D., was welcomed in September 2007 as a new AAAS fellow in the Science Policy & Evaluation Branch, Office of Science Policy, Planning and Communications (OSPPC). Dr. Ohab has a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from UC Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. At UCLA, Dr. Ohab studied the role of neural stem cells and the vascular system in brain repair after stroke.

Don Simonson, joined OSPPC in December as Chief of the Electronic Communications Branch. Mr. Simonson has been with NIH since 1993, working as a computer and IT specialist with his most current position as a Project Manager in the Office of Research Services within the NIH Office of the Director.

Departing:
Karen Babich, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Global Mental Health retired in December after 18 years of service to NIMH. During her time at NIMH, Dr. Babich has served in a variety of roles. She began her NIMH career as the Chief of the Victims of Violence Research Program in the Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR), and later transferred to the Office of Science Policy and Program Planning (now OSPPC), where she worked with a team to create NIMH’s first strategic plan. In 2004, she became the director of the newly formed Office of Global Mental Health. Dr. Babich’s career in psychiatric nursing is also highlighted by a number of positions and awards, including election into the American Academy of Nursing, president of the American Psychiatric Nursing Association, and selection as the Psychiatric Nurse of the Year.

Kathy Kopnisky, Ph.D., previously Chief of the HIV-Therapeutics/Clinical Trials & Psychiatric Pathogenesis Program in NIMH ‘s Division of AIDS and Health and Behavior Research, started a new position as chief of staff at the National Human Genome Research Institute in December.

Ernest Marquez, Ph.D., Associate Director for Special Populations and Director of the Offices for Special Populations and Rural Mental Health, retired at the end of 2007. Dr. Marquez joined NIMH in 2002 and played an important role in the Institute’s attempts to improve diversity training efforts and outreach activities. Prior to joining NIMH, Dr. Marquez served in a variety of leadership positions at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Anthony Pollitt, Ph.D., Chief, Office of Rural Mental Health Research, retired in December after 18 years of service to NIMH. During his time with NIMH, Dr. Pollitt served five years as Chief, Office of Policy Analysis and then transferred to the Office of Rural Mental Health Research. Prior to coming to NIMH, Dr. Pollitt was instrumental in the initial efforts at laying the groundwork for health services outcome research, and he also assisted NIMH staff in conceptualizing and developing a mental health services research program that began in the late 1980s.

LeShawndra N. Price, Ph.D., Program Officer for the Disruptive Behavior Program and the Stress and Trauma Program in the Psychosocial Stress and Related Disorders Branch in NIMH’s Division of Developmental Translational Research, has left NIMH for a position at NIDA.

Transfers and Other NIMH Staff Changes:
Marina Broitman, Ph.D., recently joined the Policy/Referral Office of the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) as Associate Referral Liaison, in addition to her current Scientific Review Officer responsibilities. As Associate Referral Liaison, Dr. Broitman is responsible for assigning NIMH-reviewed applications to the appropriate standing study sections; tracking the applications that will be assigned for Special Emphasis Panel reviews at NIMH; and ensuring that applications have been appropriately assigned to NIMH review versus the NIH Center for Scientific Review, based on current referral guidelines.

Vicki Dobbins transitioned in October from her position as a budget analyst in the NIMH Office of Resource Management, Planning and Financial Management Branch, to return to the Division of Intramural Research Program to become Chief Administrative Officer of the Administrative Services Branch.

Bob Heinssen, Ph.D., joined DSIR in October as Acting Deputy Director of DSIR and Chief of the Adult Treatment and Preventive Interventions Research Branch, beginning on Monday, October 15th. Dr. Heinssen comes to DSIR from NIMH’s Division on Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development (DATR) where he served as Chief of the Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Research Program.

Enid Light, Ph.D., has joined the Scientific Review Branch, DEA, as a Scientific Review Officer. Dr. Light has worked at NIMH and NIDA since 1971, serving in a number of capacities. Most recently she served as DSIR’s Associate Director for Research Training and Career Development, Chief of the SBIR/Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Program, and Chief of the Adult Rehabilitation Interventions Research Program in Adult Treatment and Prevention Intervention Research Branch.

Robert Mays, Ph.D., began serving as the Acting Associate Director for Special Populations, and Acting Director for the Office of Special Populations (OSP) and the Office of Rural Mental Health in January. From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Mays served as the program director for Research Training and Infrastructure Development in OSP. He currently serves as the Acting Chief of the Mental Health Disparities Research Program in OSP, and since 2006, has been the Deputy Chief for the Office of Rural Mental Health.

Patrick Shirdon accepted the position of Executive Officer (EO) for NIMH in January. Mr. Shirdon joined the Institute in 2005 as Deputy Executive Officer and has been serving as Acting EO since June 2007. Starting as an intern in the Outstanding Scholar Program in 1992, Mr. Shirdon has held a variety of positions at NIH, including Budget Officer at the National Institute on Aging, Special Assistant to the Director at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, and Budget Analyst in the Office of AIDs Research.

In Memoriam:
Paul J. Sirovatka, M.S., died of a heart attack in Bethesda, Maryland, on September 20, 2007. Born March 24, 1947, in Berwyn, Illinois, but raised in Denver, Colorado, Mr. Sirovatka graduated from the University of Colorado/Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in journalism in 1969. He was then selected for a unique NIMH supported master’s degree program in journalism in mental health mass communications at Kansas State University, which he completed in 1971. Almost immediately, he began his career at the NIMH as an information officer and became a critical component of the Director’s office with his talented and exceptional writing abilities. In 2003, he retired from NIMH and was recruited to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as Director of Research Policy Analysis in the Division of Research. With his extensive grasp of mental health research, he was a unique source for clear communication to the general public, patients and mental health professionals about mental disorders and the science that underlies their diagnoses and treatments.

Thomas Lea Lalley, 79, who was chief of a research program at NIMH before he retired in 1993, died of complications of kidney cancer on September 21, 2007, at his home in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lalley ran the program that studied how best to provide outpatient mental health services to people who needed them. In 1972, he joined the NIMH extramural services research program. He received an agency award for his pioneering support of research into domestic violence.

Attachment 1 - FY 2007 Actual (Budget Authority) and FY 2008 Omnibus

Dollars in Thousands

	FY 2007 Actual (Budget Authority)						FY 2008 Omnibus
	Non-AIDS		AIDS		Total		Non-AIDS			AIDS		Total
	No.	Amount	No.	Amount	No.	Amount	No.	Amount		No.	Amount	No.	Amount
Research Grants: Research Projects:
Noncompeting	1,398	475,432	155	82,105	1,553	557,537	1,439	500,477		171	83,509	1,610	583,986
Admin. Suppl	(35)	2,212	(6)	379	(41)	2,591	(36)	2,376		(6)	379	(42)	2,755
Competing	550	187,551	70	29,694	620	217,245	459	158,108		67	27,976	526	186,084
Subtotal	1,948	665,195	225	112,178	2,173	777,373	1,898	660,961		238	111,864	2,136	772,825

SBIR/STTR	79	24,246	15	4,409	94	28,655	82	23,261		12	4,494	94	27,755
Subtot., RPG	2,027	689,441	240	116,587	2,267	806,028	1,980	684,222		250	116,358	2,230	800,580

Research Centers	69	97,194	8	18,276	77	115,470	69	103,497		8	19,971	77	123,468

Other Research:
Res. Careers	423	63,975	37	5,605	460	69,580	433	64,875		37	5,605	470	70,480
Coop. Clin. Res.	0	500	5	5,728	5	6,228	0	490		5	3,920	5	4,410
Biomedical Res. Sup.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0
Other	125	30,647	15	6,658	140	37,305	125	30,647		15	6,658	140	37,305
Subtot., Other	548	95,122	57	17,991	605	113,113	558	96,012		57	16,183	615	112,195

Total Res.Grants	2,644	881,757	305	152,854	2,949	1,034,611	2,607	883,731		315	152,512	2,922	1,036,243

Research Training:	FTTP		FTTP		FTTP		FTTP			FTTP		FTTP
Individual	246	8,805	29	1,059	275	9,864	246	8,805		29	1,059	275	9,864
Institutional	827	35,966	86	4,028	913	39,994	827	35,966		86	4,028	913	39,994
Total Training	1,073	44,771	115	5,087	1,118	49,858	1,073	44,771		115	5,087	1,118	49,858

R&D Contracts	184	80,838	13	10,046	197	90,884	174	75,164		13	10,777	187	85,941

Total, Extramural		1,007,366		167,987		1,175,353		1,003,666			168,376		1,172,042

Intramural Res.	FTEs: 374	159,200	FTEs: 3	2,992	FTEs: 377	162,192	FTEs: 374	162,384		FTEs: 3	3,052	FTEs: 377	165,436

Res. Mgmt. & Supp.	221	58,414	15	7,611	236	66,025	221	60,273	1/	15	7,725	236	67,998

Total, NIMH	595	1,224,980	18	178,950	613	1,403,570	595	1,226,323		18	179,153	613	1,405,476
% Over Prior Year		0.4%		-2.2%		0.0%		0.1%			0.3%		0.1%

Contribution To Roadmap 2/	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0
% Over Prior Year

Total, Including Roadmap	595	1,224,980	18	178,590	613	1,403,570	595	1,226,323		18	179,153	613	1,405,476
% Over Prior Year		-0.4%		-2.2%		-0.6%		0.1%			0.3%		0.1%

1/ Includes $983 for Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.
2/ Roadmap is fully funded in the NIH OD.

Attachment 2 - FY 2008 Omnibus (Less 1.747% Rescission)