Autism Research
Our research is critical to understanding the causes of autism and, ultimately, to developing successful treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By studying genetics, biomarkers, epidemiology, and brain imaging we are learning more about what is happening biologically in children and adults who have autism.
Diagnostic Neuroimaging
Our research team proposes to treat mood disorders and depression in Utah with nutritional supplements to increase good energy levels in the brain. We use brain scans to look at brain chemistry to give researchers a better understanding of mood disorders.
MEND2 Lab
The Multifaceted Explorations of the Neurobiology of Depressive Disorders (MEND2) laboratory uses biopsychosocial tools, including neuroimaging, performance, self- and other-report, and blood and saliva assays in mood disorders. We use these tools to identify biomarkers inform precision medicine, including diagnosis, risk, treatment selection, treatment effectiveness, and course modification.
Mickey Lab
Limbic and frontal brain circuits underpin everyday experiences like mood, motivation, pleasure, and misery. Malfunction of those circuits causes psychiatric problems including depression, anxiety, and addiction. The overall objectives of the Mickey Lab are to understand how these neural circuits are dysregulated and to develop novel, circuit-targeted interventions that return the brain to a healthy state.
Psychiatric Genomics Lab
The Psychiatric Genomics Laboratory (PG Lab) is a data science workshop focused on enhancing the prediction and prevention of multiple psychiatric disorders. We examine genetic and environmental contributions to psychiatric illness, and study the interplay of psychiatric and medical conditions.
Suicide Genetics
Studying the genetics of suicide is a daunting task. As opposed to genetically simple illnesses, such as Huntington’s disease, suicide is very heterogeneous. Most individuals who commit suicide struggle with mental illness. However, most individuals with mental illness do not commit suicide, which suggests that additional specific risk factors, some of which may be genetic, probably exist.
URADD
The Utah Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities (URADD) uses a passive, population-based system to determine the number and characteristics of persons in Utah with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD).