It is widely known that adequate amounts of high-quality sleep are essential to good physical, mental, and cognitive health, but exactly how sleep contributes to the various aspects of health remains unknown. A large body of evidence suggests that deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is particularly important for cognitive health, a topic discussed by Department faculty members in a review recently published...

Congratulations are in order for Drs. Marianne Seney, Ryan Logan, and Deepak Sarpal (pictured above), who received travel awards to attend the annual meeting of The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). In addition, Konasale M. Prasad, MD, MBBS was elected as a member of ACNP, and Rebecca Price, PhD, was elected as an associate member. The ACNP Annual Meeting, which was held on December 9–13, 2018 in...

Two pivotal studies by a Department of Psychiatry researcher were recognized in the November 2018 commemorative issue of the journal Menopause. The papers helped overturn a long-held idea that hot flashes are a harmless annoyance of midlife by demonstrating that they are associated with risks for cardiovascular disease. Rebecca Thurston, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, Epidemiology...

The brains of people with early-onset Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome share a distinct pattern of amyloid buildup that is not seen in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Future studies on the origin of this unique pattern could reveal important mechanisms of amyloid beta accumulation and possibly targets for early intervention. People with early-onset Alzheimer's disease often develop symptoms of cognitive decline in...

The talent and expertise of Department of Psychiatry faculty, residents, and alumni of our Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Program were prominently on display at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Association of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP), which took place November 13-16, 2018 in Orlando, FL. The theme for this year’s meeting, Branding Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry: Defining the...

Meredith Spada, MD, a PGY-5 Child Psychiatry Fellow, has been selected to receive two highly competitive fellowship awards. Dr. Spada serves as the Chair of the Academic Administrator Clinician Educator track and Chief Resident for Education at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. Dr. Spada was selected as a Laughlin Fellow from an elite pool of applicants by the American College of Psychiatrists. The fellowship is...

Sansea Jacobson, MD is a dedicated clinician-educator who has established a strong local and national reputation as a leader in medical education and as a role model for the compassionate care of children and their families. A gifted clinician, Dr. Jacobson is board-certified in both general and child and adolescent psychiatry and provides care for patients and their families in the Services for Teens at Risk (STAR...

Schizophrenia is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder, marked by changes in a person’s thinking, emotions, and behavior. A number of brain areas are affected in the illness, including a region called the prefrontal cortex that is important for cognitive control of behavior. A growing body of evidence suggests that the immune system is activated in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia, but it is unclear how...

The Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, now in its 35th year, is the nation’s longest running scientific meeting devoted to exploring the latest research findings related to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Over 250 researchers, clinicians, consumers and their families gathered at the Sheraton Station Square on November 16th to attend this year’s conference. The program featured nationally...

The death of parent is an incredibly stressful event for a child, and one that can have profound consequences for the child’s future wellbeing. However, little is known about the specific long-term impact of parental loss because these types of studies are challenging to conduct. Pitt Department of Psychiatry researchers recently completed a seven-year prospective examination of pediatric grief following parental...