The Mood Disorders Translational Research Center

The Mood Disorders Translational Research Center was first formed in 2008, and crystallized around the funding of an ARRA P30 Center Grant for Translational Neuroscience. The purpose of the MDTRC is to promote translational collaborations in mood disorders research, with emphases on modeling dimensions of psychiatric disorders, investigating plasticity and disruption of synapses and brain circuits, neuroimmune signaling, dysregulation of prefrontal cortical cognitive function, neurogenetics, neurodevelopment, and the identification and investigation of novel therapeutics.

Comprised of 12 principal investigators and the members of their research teams primarily from the Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, the group meets biweekly to develop new projects, discuss recent advances in the field and approaches to model dimensions of psychiatric illness in animals, test mechanistic hypotheses about etiology and treatment in patients, and develop concrete strategies to advance fundable collaborative translational research.

Members of the MDTRC mentor pre- and post-doctoral students and other trainees at various levels, from submission of research proposals to transition into independent PI status.  Research conducted by members of the MDTRC is funded by NIH, NARSAD, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense/CDMRP.