Clinical Research
About Our Research
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.
Centers and Programs
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.
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.
Research Labs
PI: Alik Widge, MD, PhD
We create new treatments for psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
PI: Anna Zilverstand, PhD
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.
PI: Charles Lewis, MD
We are a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota who study how brain functioning impacts thoughts and behaviors in adolescents.
PI: Jeffrey Wozniak, PhD, LP
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.
PIs: Kathryn Cullen, MD & Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, PhD, LP
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.
PIs: Kelvin Lim, MD & Christine Conelea, PhD
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.
PI: Michael-Paul Schallmo, PhD
The Schallmo Lab is driven to understand how psychiatric & neurodevelopmental disorders affect neural processing, using techniques from visual neuroscience.
PI: Sophia Vinogradov, MD
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.
PI: Ziad Nahas, MD, MSCR
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.
PIs: Alexander Herman, MD, PhD & David Darrow, MD, MPH
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.
PI: Jazmin Camchong, PhD
The Research in the Mechanisms of Addiction (RIMA) Laboratory is focused on supporting recovery from addiction by targeting the brain mechanisms underlying substance use disorders. Our mission is to identify and target the neural mechanisms that influence recovery and relapse vulnerability using cutting-edge neuroimaging and neuromodulation techniques. Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen executive functioning brain networks to support abstinence in people recovering from alcohol and substance use disorders, paving the way for more effective treatments and lasting recovery.
PI: Christine Conelea, PhD
PI: Brianna Wellen, PhD
We are the Minnesota Tic and Compulsivity (MnTiC) Lab, a research group focused on tic disorders/Tourette Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), compulsivity, and related conditions. We are dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of these conditions, developing new and improved treatments, and providing empowering information and education that fosters inclusion and counteracts stigma. Our approach emphasizes partnership with "lived experience experts" to ensure that our research is responsive to the needs of the Tourette and OCD communities.
PI: C. Sophia Albott, MD, MA
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.
PI: Michael Bronstein, PhD
The Bronstein lab conducts research at the intersection of psychiatry and data science. Our group investigates the determinants of beliefs associated with depression, psychosis, and other mental illnesses. We also study misinformation and the causes of vaccine hesitancy.
PI: Scott Sponheim, PhD
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.
PI: Meredith Gunlicks-Stoessel, PhD
The Gunlicks-Stoessel Lab conducts community-based intervention research focused on the development and implementation of more effective and accessible services to best support youth mental health. We are also committed to understanding how family relationships during adolescence impact youth well-being and mental health.
PI: Justin Anker, PhD
PI: Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD
PI: Saydra Wilson, MD