IMHR-Funded Research

Impacting Mental Health and Well-Being Throughout Life

The mission of the Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR) is to accelerate progress in the understanding, treatment and, ultimately, prevention of mental illness. Mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia have been found to be among the leading causes of disability world-wide. The IMHR approach promotes psychological health and well-being throughout the lifespan, from childhood to late life, by means of research and education. Cutting-edge research performed by scientists and clinicians at IMHR collaborator sites across Arizona has been funded.

Research in Childhood

Research in children is important because the emotional and behavioral problems of children tend to persist or to develop into other disorders later in life, if not successfully treated.  Childhood is the ideal time to intervene to prevent problems from arising or, when they do, to prevent them from becoming chronic and interfering with academic and social development.

• Autism:  Autism is a complex, neurobehavioral disorder with diverse symptoms and a range of severity.  Studies of twins have shown that autism has a genetic component. Dr. Dietrich Stephan at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is scanning the genomes of large Arizona families affected by autism in a search for abnormal genes. Identifying the genes that predispose to autism may lead to diagnostic tests to detect autism before it appears clinically and provide the opportunity to intervene earlier in its course.

• Rett Syndrome: Rett Syndrome is a neurological disorder almost exclusively affecting females.  Affected infants are typically normal at birth, but develop signs of the disease (autistic features and stereotypic movements like hand wringing) within 6-18 months. Dr. Vinodh Narayanan is studying the genetic mutations that cause Rett Syndrome, as well as autism and mental retardation, at the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix.

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): In order to develop optimal treatments for ADHD, it is crucial to understand the neural mechanisms associated with the disorder.  Dr. Anouk Scheres is studying the neural pathways leading to ADHD at the University of Arizona Psychology Department and the University Medical Center in Tucson.  Treatment studies of young children with ADHD and pervasive developmental disorder are being conducted by Dr. Jaswinder Ghuman in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

• Anxiety Disorders:  Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders in white youths. Dr. Armando Pena of the Arizona State University Department of Psychology in Tempe is studying the adaptation of standard CBT to better address the clinical, cultural, and contextual characteristics of Latino youths with anxiety disorders and their families. Latinos are the largest minority group in Arizona and the U.S. and are largely underrepresented in childhood anxiety disorder treatment research.

• Other Childhood Psychopathology: Children of depressed mothers are at risk for developing psychopathology.  Dr. Jaswinder Ghuman of the University of Arizona College of Medicine is studying the development of behavioral and emotional problems in children of mothers who become depressed during the postpartum period and the extent to which affected children receive adequate mental health services. Dr. Kathryn S. Lemery is studying how positive social relationships may protect children from developing childhood psychopathology.  Her work at Arizona State University in Tempe is focused on understanding the association between social relationships and mental health in children, in order to design optimal prevention and intervention programs and help children develop in healthy ways.

Developmental Experiences of Life

Tasks associated with normal development, such as becoming financially and emotionally independent of one's family of origin, getting married, having children, and aging and retirement can be stressful and lead to the development of psychopathology.  Identifying risk factors for problems arising from normal developmental experiences and effective treatments for these special circumstances can allow life's transitions to proceed without more deleterious consequences.

• Maternal Depression: Pregnancy does not appear to protect against depression, and there is not currently sufficient data on the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy. Dr. Marlene Freeman is studying patients who have been treated with antidepressants by their providers during pregnancy to evaluate the effects on babies at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

• Postpartum Depression: In this study, Dr. Barry Weiss is exploring whether limited literacy is a risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD).  If limited reading and writing ability does prove to be a risk factor, it will be one of the few modifiable risk factors identified thus far.  Dr. Weiss' study is being performed at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Although 10% to 20% of new mothers experience PPD, recent studies demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of those affected do not receive treatment.  Dr. Marlene Freeman is investigating what treatments are most acceptable and accessible to women suffering from PPD.  This project will build a statewide network for collaborative research in the area of PPD.  The study is being performed at the University of Arizona in Tucson and Phoenix Perinatal Associates Clinics in Phoenix.

• Resilience:  Dr. Felipe Castro is studying resilience (a flexible and efficient response to challenge and threat) among Hispanic adults at Arizona State University in Tempe.  His research focuses on whether or not leadership qualities lead to better resilience in the hopes of building greater resilience among Hispanics and their families, as well as in other special populations.

• Personality Disorders:  A personality disorder is an inflexible and maladaptive pattern of inner experience and behavior that usually has an onset in adolescence and frequently comes to clinical attention during developmental transitions.  Dr. Andrew Skodol is Chair of the NIMH- sponsored Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study and principal investigator of one of the studies 5 collaborating sites (Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Texas A&M, and Yale Universities).  Dr. Donna Bender is co-principal investigator.  Drs. Skodol and Bender are bringing their work on the impact of personality disorders on psychosocial functioning and on the utilization of mental health treatment resources to the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine in Phoenix and in Tucson.  Dr. Skodol is also Chair of the DSM-V Work Group on Personality and Personality Disorders and will be conducting, with Dr. Bender, analyses of existing data sets on alternative models of personality disorders and field trials of proposed revisions of DSM-V in both Phoenix and Tucson.

Abnormal Experiences of Life

Many mental disorders have an initial onset in early adult life.  They can have a devastating effect on a person's ability to function in the work place and in social relationships, and may lead to premature death though illness or suicide. The causes of most mental disorders are multi-factorial, with contributions from genes and neurobiology, as well as from environmental circumstances and stress.  Understanding these processes holds the key to the development of more effective treatments.

• Depression: 40 million Americans are affected at sometime in their lifetimes by clinical depression.  Dr. Francisco Moreno is studying  biological causes of major depression, treatment response, and the genes involved in the risk for depression. Genetic testing is being done at the Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Because genetic factors are important variables influencing the relationship between known risk factors for depression and the development of the disorder, Dr. John Allen is exploring the manner in which genes increase the risk for depression.  Dr. Allen is also examining the brain systems hypothesized to cause depression and their interrelationships in an effort to identify those at risk for developing depression. These studies are being performed at the University of Arizona in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry in Tucson. People who suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) have emotional responses that are too persistent or intense and they lack flexibility and adaptability in their emotional reactions to environmental events.  Dr. Richard Lane at the University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry is studying brain abnormalities that characterize MDD, in order to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

• Cancer and Depression: 25%-50% of cancer patients suffer from Major Depressive Disorder.  Evidence suggests that depression shortens patients' survival time, along with adversely affecting the quality of their lives.  Dr. Karen Weihs is assembling a scientific team to adapt a successful model for treating depressive disorders in primary care to ambulatory cancer care.  This study is being performed at the University of Arizona and the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.

• Bipolar Disorder (BD):  BD is a mental disorder characterized by extreme or unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to function.  More than 2 million American adults have bipolar disorder.  Dr. David Craig at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix is studying the genes that predispose one to bipolar affective disorder.

• Schizophrenia: Nicotine has been shown to have remarkable cognitive effects and may lessen the symptoms of schizophrenia. Dr. Jie Wu is studying whether nicotine may be an effective treatment for schizophrenia at the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.  Dr John Lukas at the same institution is also studying the role of nicotinic receptors in the brain in mental health and mental illness and whether psychoactive drugs used to treat mental illness exert their effect via these receptors.

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):  Dr. Martha Kent is exploring the loss of resilience (a flexible and efficient response to challenge and threat) among individuals experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder. The goal of the study is to reestablish resilience in the lives of individuals with PTSD. Dr. Kent's work is being done at Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University in Tempe.

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Co-occurring Major Depressive Disorder (MDD):  Individuals with PTSD often suffer from MDD as well.  Individuals with both of these disturbances are more likely to engage in suicidal behaviors and over-utilize treatment services and the public health care system.  Dr. Patricia Haynes is studying treatments to benefit these patients by improving their ability to sleep and to regulate emotion.  This study is being done at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

• Substance Dependence:  Dr. Edward Casteneda is studying neurophysiological mechanisms that sustain drug addiction at Arizona State University in Tempe.  Specifically, he is studying dopamine brain pathways in rats that are implicated in stimulant drug craving, sensitivity to stress that predisposes to recidivism, and stimulant-induced psychosis in humans. Understanding these mechanisms may help prevent the progressive mental deterioration associated with prolonged stimulant drug use.

• Emotions and Physical Health:  Emotional health and physical health are strongly related.  Dr. Arthur Craig at and the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at Arizona State University, is studying patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome associated with depression and chronic fatigue, to see if such patients are less able than unaffected people to regulate negative emotions via autonomic mechanisms.

Late Life Research

In late life, brain functioning begins to decline.  Neurodegenerative disorders of late life are extremely disabling and pose severe burdens on individuals, their families, and health care resources.  Early identification may lead to early intervention to slow the progression of these devastating illnesses.

• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD): MCI and AD exert enormous personal and economic costs, but early detection, treatment, and prevention are all possible. With these goals in mind, Dr. Ronald Lukas is studying the brain tissue of deceased individuals who were cognitively and psychiatrically normal, compared to others diagnosed with MCI or with AD. Loss of certain brain receptor chemicals in specific areas of the brain may be associated with the development of MCI and its progression to AD and to co-occurring psychiatric disturbances. Identification of markers of severity and progression of MCI can lead to simple tests of disease state and response to treatment in memory disorders.  This work is being done at the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix and at Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City.

• Alzheimer's Disease (AD):  Dr. Cynthia Stonnington is studying the early detection of AD at the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale.  Her long-term goal is to develop a cognitive test that will predict who is at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease prior to the onset of any cognitive decline. One risk factor in developing AD is female gender.  Dr. Heather Allyson Bimonte-Nelson is studying the effects of surgical and transitional ovarian hormone loss on memory decline and the development of AD.  Her research is being done at Arizona State University in Tempe. Dr. Marwan Sabbagh is studying the neurotransmitters associated with the memory loss of AD.  His research focuses on current treatments and making them more effective in managing the symptoms of the disease.  This study is being performed at Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City.  Dr. Pierre Tariot at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, in collaboration with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), is studying how mood stabilizing drugs may exert their effects by means of the regulation of gene expression. This mechanism may, in turn, underlie disturbances of behavior in neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's Disease.