Three Douglas Mental Health University Institute researchers have been selected by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), one of the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research, to each receive a 2008 Young Investigator Award.

The scientists – along with Christopher C. Pack, Ph.D.of the Montreal Neurological Institute - are four of 220 early-career scientists in the United States and 11 other countries who will receive funds this year from NARSAD to advance their research. Each of the scientists will receive $60,000 from NARSAD over the next two years to study a variety of topics: 

•  Johanne Renaud, M.D., M.Sc.,FRCPC, of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, seeks to identify unmet needs and trajectories of utilization of services in 85 suicide attempters, all under age 25, with respect to the type of services used, frequency and acceptance of the services. 
• Tak Pan Wong, Ph.D., of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, will examine the effect of stress on the expression mechanism of long-term depression. The findings may disclose molecular signals triggered by stress that enhance vulnerability to schizophrenia.
• Sarojini M. Sengupta, Ph.D., of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, will examine the association between various factors relating to stress and the environment in pregnant mothers, and the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with co-morbid disorders in their children.

“We congratulate our scientists and we are proud that the excellence of their research is being recognized by such an organization” said Rémi Quirion, O.C. PhD C.Q. FRSC, scientific director of the Douglas. “NARSAD’s Young Investigator awards play a unique and invaluable role. We are confident that the work of these Young Investigators will accelerate progress in the study of psychiatric disorders.” said Herbert Pardes, M.D., president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, who is also president of NARSAD’s Scientific Council, in a press release issued when the announcement was made on June 26.

Detailed summaries of the NARSAD-funded work being pursued by each of these scientists

Johanne Renaud, M.D., M.Sc.,FRCPC, of Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, will seek to identify unmet needs and trajectories of utilization of services in 85 suicide attempters, all under 25, with respect to the type of services used, frequency and collaboration of services in the 12 months preceding the attempts. Dr. Renaud will also compare unmet needs and trajectories of utilization to a sample of suicide completers and population controls. This design will lead to formal recommendations for mental health service delivery in order to better differentiate suicide attempters with suicide completers, and ultimately to support and improve mental health care services and prevent youth suicide.

Tak Pan Wong, Ph.D., of Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, will examine the effect of stress on the expression mechanism of long-term depression (LTD), which is the endocytosis of the AMPA subtype of glutamate receptors. Findings from this study will reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying stress-induced facilitation of LTD. Given the potential role of LTD in the formation of certain symptoms of schizophrenia, our findings may disclose molecular signals that are triggered by stress to enhance vulnerability to the disease.

Sarojini M. Sengupta, Ph.D., of Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, will investigate the interaction between genetic factors and prenatal stressors on the development of serious mental illness in children including. ADHD with co-morbid oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and anxiety disorder. Dr. Sengupta seeks to examine the association between stressful life events during pregnancy, stress response in the mother, protective factors in the environment (such as supportive social environment), maternal smoking during pregnancy, and genetic factors that regulate the stress response, with the development of ADHD with co-morbid disorders.

About NARSAD Young Investigators Awards
NARSAD created the Young Investigator Award to help the most promising scientists who are now entering research—i.e., post-doctoral fellows, advanced-standing medical residents, and assistant professors—to generate pilot data necessary for larger grants.

About the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
NARSAD raises funds to advance research on the causes, treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders. Since it began giving grants in 1987, as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, NARSAD has awarded $233 million through 3,474 research grants to scientists in 428 institutions in the U.S. and 27 other countries.