A new generation of MR imaging techniques has made it possible to quantify the volume of both whole brain and small brain structures with an enhanced precision, thus allowing a more accurate and detailed assessment of structural brain anomalies in schizophrenia. Our original study (Shenton et… read more →
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been useful in revealing subtle structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients, including ventricular enlargement, volume reduction in the frontal and parietal lobes, and gray matter reduction of medial temporal lobe structures (see Shenton et al., 2001 for a review of abnormal MRI findings in schizophrenia;… read more →
Our group began research in 2008 in the area of traumatic brain injury (TBI) when we began our collaboration with Dr. Ross Zafonte, Director of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Zafonte is also principal investigator of the Harvard Clinical Defense Consortium Site on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and TBI,… read more →
Recently there has been an increased interest in studying the neurobiology of personality disorders, and, in particular, schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). SPD is characterised by cognitive or perceptual distortions, an inability to tolerate close friendships, and odd behavior, but not frank psychosis. Of particular importance to SPD is… read more →
Our group has also been actively involved in MRI studies of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These studies have been undertaken in collaboration with researchers in Israel (Dr. Arieh Shalev) and at the Manchester, NH Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Dr. Mark Gilbertson) and Dr. Roger Pitman who is now at Massachusetts General… read more →
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder that is likely heterogeneous and involves both environmental and genetic influences. A promising approach to investigating genetic aspects of the disorder is to evaluate a group of patients with a defined genetic disorder. Individuals diagnosed with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS, also called 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome)… read more →
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or Attention deficit disorder (ADD) affects about 11% of the children in the United States, with boys more often diagnosed than girls. While its exact causes are unknown, researchers at the PNL and other laboratories are investigating the neural circuits that are affected… read more →
The ability to identify and follow structural brain changes during brain maturation and aging is both fundamental to our understanding of brain function, and crucial in clinical studies. While post-mortem studies of human brain can provide data on local histological changes, they are only cross sectional. Further, such… read more →
Other disorders that are not listed elsewhere include: William’s Syndrome, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Friedreich Ataxia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, HIV, Congenital Hemiparesis, and Subcaudate Tractotomy.
