Recent studies led by Pitt Psychiatry investigators examine the associations between post-traumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular and brain health in women ( JAMA Network Open), and sex-dependent alterations in the memory network ( Alzheimer’s & Dementia). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Cardiovascular and Brain Health in Women Most women in the United States will experience at least one major...

Bipolar disorder, which has peak onset in early adulthood, is often difficult to accurately diagnose due to misreporting mania/hypomania, even though mania/hypomania is a pathognomonic feature of the disorder. The misreporting of this feature frequently results in mistaking bipolar disorder for unipolar depression. To facilitate earlier and accurate bipolar disorder diagnoses, there is a vital need for objective...

Pitt Psychiatry faculty and trainees past and present attended the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP)’s annual meeting, the National Update on Behavioral Emergencies. Representing psychiatrists—as well as other clinicians, educators, and professionals—working in the emergency setting, the AAEP is dedicated to the advancement of evidence-based compassionate care for behavioral emergencies through...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome Daniel Hedayati, MD, who joins the Department at the rank of assistant professor. Dr. Hedayati received his MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and completed his residency training in psychiatry/family medicine, and served as chief resident of family medicine and psychiatry. He then undertook a clinical fellowship in geriatric medicine at UPMC St. Margaret...

Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit pronounced deficits in somatostatin messenger RNA levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and other prefrontal regions. Lower somatostatin messenger RNA levels appear to be due to lower gene expression per neuron without a deficit in somatostatin-positive neuron density, suggesting that in schizophrenia, somatostatin neurons are functionally altered in the dorsolateral...

Theories of human neurobehavioral development suggest executive functions mature from childhood through adolescence, a time when individuals may also experience peaks in risk-taking behaviors such as substance use, and increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. However, the timing of adolescent executive function development and the specific age when executive functions reach adult levels have been...

Many University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry faculty and trainees attended the 2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting to learn about and present new research, and connect with colleagues. Below is a recap of Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting: Honorific Award Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab) (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and...

Traumatic early-life experiences—emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and/or neglect in childhood—can have an impact on cognitive, emotional, and neurodevelopmental processes years after the events occur, potentially leading to depression and suicidal behavior into adolescence and young adulthood. However, it is unclear whether this same relationship extends into late life. As older adults, especially those 85 and...

The annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, now in its 40th year, presented the latest clinical and research findings to an audience of 338 psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, service coordinators, researchers, and mental health policy administrators, as well as to patients and families. K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD (Professor of Psychiatry) serves as course director for the conference and leads...

Pitt Psychiatry consultation-liaison (C-L) faculty and trainees attended the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP) annual meeting and presented 9 symposia/workshops, 11 posters, and 5 oral papers. Travel Award Congratulations to Isaiah Crum, MD (PGY3) who received an ACLP trainee travel award. Presentations Twenty-five Department of Psychiatry presentations covered a range of topics including trauma...