Gliosis, an Immune Response to Brain Injury, Is Found in Brains of Recovered COVID Patients With Lasting Depression and Cognitive Symptoms

In the weeks, months, and even years following a COVID infection, it is not uncommon for those who have recovered from the virus’s acute symptoms to be dogged by persistent depressive symptoms. Often, such depression is accompanied by cognitive symptoms; sometimes the latter can occur in the absence of depression symptoms. Researchers have been trying to get a fix on what causes these post-infection brain-based symptoms, and a new study suggests one possible source.

Cynthia Shannon Weickert, Ph.D.

Cynthia Shannon Weickert, Ph.D.
Position

Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology

University

SUNY Upstate Medical University

Position

Macquarie Group Foundation Chair of Schizophrenia Research

University

University of New South Wales and the Neuroscience Research Australia

Grant or Prize

2004 Independent Investigator Grant

Grant or Prize

2001, 1999 Young Investigator Grant

Probing How Alcohol and Drinking Behaviors Change How Inhibitory Cortical Cells Function

As defined by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. “It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism,” NIDA notes.

James McPartland, Ph.D.

James McPartland, Ph.D.
Position

Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology

Position

Director, Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic

Position

Director, Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health

University

Yale School of Medicine

Grant or Prize

2013 Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research

Grant or Prize

2009 Young Investigator Grant

James McPartland, Ph.D., is the Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center. He is a neuroscientist and practicing child psychologist who directs the Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Dr. McPartland is also a founder and director of the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health and the Principal Investigator of the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials, a US-based effort to identify biological indices to enhance intervention research in autism. Dr. McPartland’s program of research investigates the brain bases of neurodevelopmental conditions to develop biologically-based tools to improve clinical care and quality of life for autistic people and their families.

Nathaniel G. Harnett, Ph.D.

Nathaniel G. Harnett, Ph.D.
Position

Director of the NATE Lab

University

McLean Hospital

Position

Assistant Professor in Psychiatry

University

Harvard Medical School

Grant or Prize

2021 Young Investigator Grant

Dr. Nathaniel Harnett is Director of the NATE Lab at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His research primarily focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms of susceptibility to trauma and stress-related disorders. His work has been featured in academic and general audience publications and funded by organizations such as the National Institute of Mental Health, the Ford Foundation, and BBRF.

PTSD: The Brain Basis of Susceptibility

Survivors vary in their likelihood of developing PTSD after trauma exposure due, in part, to how the brain handles the stress of the experience. This webinar will highlight emerging research supported by BBRF that has begun to identify the brain circuits that contribute to PTSD susceptibility and may be used to predict future PTSD symptoms. Further, future directions to improve the generalizability of neuroscience-based prediction of PTSD will be discussed.

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Developing Biological Markers to Improve Clinical Care in Autism

There is a critical need for objective biological measures to inform clinical practice and research in autism. Dr. McPartland will review the state of the science and present work from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials to advance biomarkers through FDA qualification. He will present emerging strategies to apply them in individuals with profound autism and to translate them into treatment.

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Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Ph.D.

Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Ph.D.
Position

Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology

Position

Director, PTSD Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment

Position

Deputy Director, Evaluation Division at the National Center for PTSD

University

Yale School of Medicine

Grant or Prize

2015 Independent Investigator Grant

Dr. Harpaz-Rotem is a Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology at Yale University. He is a clinical psychologist who, for many years, has conducted research and provided treatment to individuals exposed to trauma. Dr. Harpaz-Rotem serves as an investigator at the National Center for PTSD, and he also directs the evaluation of VA PTSD treatment programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Northeast Program Evaluation Center, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, VA Central Office. Research into how to modify traumatic memories and their associated emotions is one of the core questions that guide his work.