This is the first large scale (~600 patients) study to systematically examine the biologic, genetic, neuroimaging and psychological predictors of treatment response in never treated depressed patients.

There is considerable evidence that neurotensin (NT)-containing neuronal systems are altered in schizophrenia and mediate some of the effects of antipsychotic drugs (APDs).

This R01 has been continuously funded by NIMH for 21 years and has three current aims: 1) CRF1 receptor antagonists and neuroplasticity; 2) quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of CRFergic targets; and 3) development of a targeted transgenic mouse in which Cre recombinase is under control of the CRF promoter. These mice are then crossed with a number of different "floxed" mouse strains.

Our lab's role in this Center grant is to assess the Biological Conequences of Prenatal Stress and/or Antidepressant Exposure (i.e., epigenetics).

A strong correlation exists between vascular pathology and late life depression but the cause and effect nature of this relationship is unknown. This project focuses on understanding the biological link between changes in cerebral vasculature and depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) during adolescence can be particularly detrimental because it predisposes one to subsequent depressive episodes. Despite the life-long implications of adolescent MDD, little is known about the underlying neurobiology of an early life depressive episode. In order to address this gap in biomedical research, an animal model of adolescent depression would be advantageous. This project is designed to develop a rat model of adolescent depression.

This unique opportunity to accelerate antidepressant and anxiolytic drug development brings together expertise of four complementary research groups: the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the NIMH Intramural Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry (MSSM) and the Center for Excellence in Drug Discovery (CEDD) in Psychiatry of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the largest multinational pharmaceutical companies.