Clinical, social behavioral and observational research are keystones to discovering world-class treatments and learning about the roles of brain functioning, genetics, and environment in mental health.

Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health specialize in their field, connected to national and international research groups, with interdisciplinary connections that create the innovative connections necessary for successful research. Explore fields of mental health diagnosis below to connect with doctors, researchers, centers, and labs that will inform your studies at the University of Minnesota.

Videos

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Insights from a Psychiatrist: Understanding Psychosis
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Driven to End Drug Addiction: Substance Abuse
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Who We Are and What We Study: Neuroplasticity Research in Support of Mental Health

Centers and Programs

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MCEDR

The Minnesota Center for Eating Disorders Research at the University of Minnesota conducts research in the following areas: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, emotional eating, obesity, purging/self-induced vomiting, diet/weight loss, disordered eating, and eating disorder treatment.

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CMRR

Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) focuses on development of unique magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy methodologies and instrumentation for the acquisition of structural, functional, and biochemical information non-invasively in humans, and utilizing this capability to investigate organ function in health and disease.

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Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The prevalence of ASD has been rising steadily over the past 10 years, with recent estimates that 1/68 children have ASD (CDC, 2014).

Research Labs

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TNE Lab

We create new treatments for psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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AnnaZ Lab

The AnnaZ Lab is a research team dedicated to investigating the factors driving escalation and persistence of substance misuse and disorders across the lifespan. Our multidisciplinary research investigates the environmental, social, psychological, psychiatric and neurobiological factors underlying human drug addiction, through the collection and analysis of behavioral, clinical and neuroimaging data.

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ABF Lab

We are a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota who study how brain functioning impacts thoughts and behaviors in adolescents.

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FASD Research Lab

We use the latest brain imaging techniques and neurodevelopmental tests to study the brain changes caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, investigating the effects of computerized cognitive training and neuromodulation (mild electrical current) on the scalp on brain development in FASD, and testing nutritional interventions with the goal to optimize brain development in young children with FASD.

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RAD Lab

We are a team of researchers dedicated to conducting research about adolescent mental health. Our research aims to advance understanding of the biology of mood disorders (e.g. depression and bipolar disorder) in adolescents, and to test how new investigational treatments may work to restore health in young people.

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NNL Lab

The NNL aims to provide state-of-the-art technology for clinical trials using neuromodulation to better the understanding of psychiatric and neurological conditions. Research in our labs aims to discover new evidence about neurological and psychiatric disorders to improve clinical methods and help people living with these conditions.

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The Schallmo Lab

The Schallmo Lab is driven to understand how psychiatric & neurodevelopmental disorders affect neural processing, using techniques from visual neuroscience.

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CoTIPP Lab

Our research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of neuroscience-informed computerized cognitive training exercises for people with psychotic illness. We aim to use these methods to enhance neurocognitive and neural system functioning.

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IPL Lab

The Interventional Psychiatry Lab focuses on neuromodulation research in the context of mood dysregulation and depressive disorders. We are committed to increasing access to evidence based neuromodulation therapies through rigorous, ethical research.

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Herman Darrow Lab

We are the Herman-Darrow Human Neuroscience Lab, a human brain research lab out of the University of Minnesota. We study the brain networks of mood, behavior, and cognition in people living with motor disorders, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain. We bring Psychiatry and Neurosurgery together using implant technologies and other trans-diagnostic tools like TMS, EEG, and cognitive remediation in an effort to improve the quality of life to affected patient populations.

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RIMA Lab
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CAN Lab

Our aim is to advance current research efforts, interventions, and care for all neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) including Autism, ADHD, Tic Disorders, and OCD. Dr. Suma Jacob and Dr. Christine Conelea, with a full team of dedicated researchers, coordinators, and volunteers, come together to answer many questions about how neurodevelopmental disorders originate, how they progress, and how they can be treated.

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RISE Lab

The Researching Interventions for Stressful Experiences (RISE) lab is committed to understanding the risk factors, pathophysiology, and mechanisms underlying stressful experiences that manifest as disease processes. We seek to develop novel interventions (pharmacological, neuromodulatory, and behavioral) that promote recovery from trauma and stress related disorders.

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Nielson Lab

The overarching purpose of the Nielson lab is to understand and treat trauma. Research projects in the Nielson lab utilize a multidisciplinary approach, merging the fields of neurobiology, psychiatry and informatics to identify more precise "bio-types" of trauma psychopathology than traditional diagnostic criteria, and potential novel targets for treatment.

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CAB Lab

The Cognition and Brain (CAB) in Psychopathology Lab, lead by Dr. Scott Sponheim, is dedicated to understanding the causes of severe mental disorders, and detailing the inter-relationships of brain abnormalities that come from mild traumatic brain injury and combat-stress conditions. We believe that an overall improved understanding of these brain conditions will translate into better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

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Hatsukami Lab
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Anker Lab
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HEAT Lab
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Bronstein Lab
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Gunlicks-Stoessel Lab
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Wilson Lab